War Rages On
by alightintheshadows
Summary: Sequel to "In His Own Hell." It's been months since Edward Elric has gone missing, but that's not the only problem. Drachma has decided that it's time to go to war. Will Mustang and his team find Ed before they're forced to fight against him? Will Amestris even stand a chance in this war against Drachma? Rated T just to be safe. Parental!RoyEd.
1. Chapter 1

**Guess who is back with the sequel as promised? Me! It's finally summer and I have time to write again! I had so much fun writing "In His Own Hell" and I can't wait to work on this sequel. I hope you guys enjoy this story just as much. This first chapter will definitely be more Mustang centric and how he is dealing with the events of the previous story. I hope you guys like it!**

 **To anyone who has not read "In His Own Hell," I highly recommend reading that story first. Otherwise, you'll probably be extremely confused.**

 **I still do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

 ***four months later***

"Colonel, you need to get up. I know that the winter ball is tonight and we don't have work, but Alphonse will be here soon," Havoc said as he shook Mustang's shoulder.

Mustang let out a groan and finally sat up in his bed. He ran a hand through his hair. He had completely forgotten about the winter ball that evening, and he desperately wished that he didn't have to go. Despite being a target of the Drachman military, Fuhrer Bradley deemed it mandatory that he still attend this event. If he was honest with himself, he was dreading the ball more than he usually would. Since it was close to Christmas, everyone would be in high spirits and happy to be spending time with their friends and family. While he was still surrounded by his loyal friends and subordinates, a key part to his family was still missing.

He got up and went to the bathroom in his and Havoc's room to splash some cold water on his face. Ever since he was rescued, Bradley "suggested" that he live in the dorms. After hearing about Vincent's warning that the Drachmans would return for him, his team felt that this was the best decision. It would be difficult for the Drachmans to get to him if he was surrounded by soldiers. Havoc had volunteered to room with him, which he was actually very grateful for. Hawkeye had also moved back into the dorms to keep a close eye on him. Since she was living in the dorms, she allowed Alphonse to stay at her apartment whenever he was in Central, which he was a majority of the time unless he was paying the Rockbell's a visit.

Mustang dried his face off and stared at his reflection in the mirror. The dark circles under his eyes seemed even darker than normal. That wasn't a surprise. The past four months haven't exactly been kind to him. He opened the cabinet in the bathroom and was met with the sight of a familiar pill bottle with a note attached to it. He sighed as he read the note to himself again.

 _You are not weak._

That was a reminder that he was needing more and more each and every time he took one of those pills. They induced a dreamless sleep, which was the only way he could get any sleep at all. He frowned slightly as he remembered the events that led up to him getting these pills.

 _ ***flashback***_

 _Mustang checked his pocket watch. It was exactly eight o'clock in the morning. He yawned as he sat down at his desk and stared at his paperwork. It had only been two weeks since he and his team returned to Central. General Raven had suggested that he take some time off, and his team had definitely encouraged him to do so, but he refused. As per the Fuhrer's orders, he was not allowed to go anywhere aside from Central Command and his dorm. Even then, he was never to be alone, so there was really no point in avoiding work. Bradley said it was just a precaution to protect one of the military's strongest alchemists until they found Fullmetal and settled this dispute with Drachma. He nearly gave a bitter laugh at the irony. Now he was trying to take precautions, but he didn't think it was necessary to warn him about the Drachman spies in Kanon. He really didn't understand that man. Aside from that, sitting around doing nothing was not going to help them find Ed, although he wasn't doing a whole lot anyway. Bradley had already sent spies of their own into Drachma to see if they could locate the young alchemist, but they haven't reported anything useful yet._

 _He rubbed his eyes in a vain attempt to wake himself up. He went another night with absolutely no sleep. Upon waking up in the hospital in South City, he discovered very quickly that he wanted to avoid sleep as much as possible. Every time he fell asleep, he would dream that he was back in the Drachman base with Ed, unable to do anything as the poor kid was mercilessly tortured. He hadn't told anyone about what happened to him and Ed during those five days of hell. Even when the Fuhrer wanted him to give his account of what happened to him and the other generals, he left out anything that wasn't absolutely necessary. If he had to guess, he had probably slept a total of twenty hours since he had returned. He would fake sleeping when he was in the dorm with Havoc, not wanting to worry him any more than he already was. He was brought out of his thoughts when Hawkeye entered his office._

" _I see you and Havoc are early today, sir," Hawkeye observed as she walked in the office with a mug in her hands, "I made some tea and figured you might want some. You've been drinking too much coffee lately."_

" _Thank you, Lieutenant," he said, not even taking his eyes off his paperwork even though he made no move to actually do any of it._

 _He yawned again before grabbing the mug of steaming hot tea. He needed to stay awake. He had to let his team think that he was okay. Rooming with Havoc already made that difficult enough. He took a sip of tea and was surprised at how sweet it was. He had been expecting something more bitter._

" _What kind of tea is this, Lieutenant?" he asked._

" _It's wild sweet orange tea."_

 _The name alone made sense. He finally got himself started on his paperwork as he drank more of the tea. There was something really familiar about the taste, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. A few minutes later, Hawkeye walked back into his office with more paperwork, but this time she wasn't alone._

" _Hey, Roy! How's it going?" a jovial voice rang through the previously silent office._

 _Mustang looked up from his paperwork to see Maes Hughes walking up to his desk. He nearly groaned. He really wasn't in the mood to be bombarded with photos, so he turned his attention back to his paperwork._

" _Fine," he replied curtly._

" _Is Al coming to visit today?" the Lieutenant Colonel asked, trying to make polite conversation._

" _Yes, he's supposed to be here sometime after lunch."_

 _Much to his surprise, Hughes didn't try to show him any of his infinite number of photos. The Lieutenant Colonel looked to Hawkeye, who simply nodded at him in return. Since his focus was still on his paperwork, he didn't notice the silent exchange between Hughes and Hawkeye. He continued filling out the never-ending pile of papers as he finished the last of his tea. He was starting to feel slightly drowsy, but he blamed that on the lack of sleep from the past two weeks. He stared at the mug in a contemplative manner._

" _You know what this tea reminds me of, Lieutenant? The medicine I used to take as a kid when I was sick to put me to sleep. It was just as sweet…."_

 _Mustang's voice trailed off and his eyes widened when he realized what Hawkeye had done. He stared in disbelief at his First Lieutenant._

" _You drugged me?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper._

 _Panic set in immediately. He had to make himself throw up. He couldn't go back into that nightmare. Unfortunately for him, his team had planned on him trying to make a break for it. He shot up from his chair and bolted toward the door, but Hughes wrapped his arms around him. Mustang twisted and turned to free himself and he succeeded._

" _Havoc! Breda!" Hughes called._

 _Just as he made it out the door, Havoc and Breda grabbed his arms. The Colonel thrashed against their hold on him, but the medicine was kicking in and his movements were starting to grow sluggish. That certainly didn't stop him from trying, though. Hughes and Hawkeye ran over to help Havoc and Breda. Hughes grabbed Mustang around his waist while Hawkeye managed to grab his legs. Between the four of them, they were able to carry the still struggling Colonel back into his office, but it was with much difficulty. The four of them were fairly strong individuals, but Mustang was desperate. If the drug hadn't already started to take effect, he probably would have escaped them._

" _Let go of me!" Mustang demanded._

 _His eyes were starting to droop shut. He fought to keep them open, but that was a battle that he was quickly losing. He had to get free. He couldn't fall asleep. He needed to stay awake. His struggles soon became nonexistent and he sagged in the arms of his friend and subordinates._

" _I'm sorry, Roy," Hughes said in a strained voice as he and the others carried him toward the various couches in the office._

 _They set him down on one of the couches. They stood by, even though it wasn't necessary. The medicine was already in full effect. Mustang tried in vain to keep his eyes open, but it was no use. As his eyes slowly closed, the mixture of anger, confusion, and hurt in them was unable to go unnoticed. Right before he was fully pulled into unconsciousness, he felt someone lift his head to slip a pillow underneath it while someone else settled a blanket on top of him. His last coherent thought was that his team had no idea what nightmares they were putting him through._

 _ ***later that evening***_

 _Mustang could hear voices around him as he started to wake back up, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. He vaguely heard the sound of a door shutting. It took a bit of effort, but he managed to open his eyes. He slowly sat up and tossed the blanket off him._

" _Roy?"_

 _The Colonel looked up to see his best friend sitting on the edge of the couch across from his. He nearly started shaking with rage. Hughes obviously noticed because he had stiffened considerably, unsure of how his friend was going to react. Mustang looked out the window and saw that it was nearly dark out. He checked his pocket watch and saw that it was just after seven o'clock. He'd been asleep for eleven hours. He ran a hand through his hair and met his friend's gaze._

" _Was drugging me really necessary, Maes?" he asked in an eerily calm voice._

" _Roy, you haven't slept properly in weeks," Hughes put a hand up when he saw that Mustang was about to interrupt, "Don't you dare say anything about Havoc seeing you sleep, because he hasn't. He's seen you faking it. He's known you long enough to know the difference. You need to take care of yourself and you're not even though your team, Al, and myself have told you to. Drugging you seemed like the only option to actually make you sleep."_

 _Mustang looked away. He couldn't exactly argue with the fact that he had gone against everyone's wishes for him to take better care of himself. However, it didn't change the fact that he was still extremely pissed off at Maes and his team._

" _Keeping yourself awake and letting your health deteriorate isn't going to do anything to help Ed, Roy. We've tried to get you to go to a therapist. If you didn't want to see a therapist, you are well aware that you could go to anyone on your team or myself if you needed to talk. I know you feel awful about what happened to Ed, bottling up those feelings is going to do nothing but tear you apart."_

 _The Colonel's head snapped back toward his friend. For a reason he couldn't exactly explain, rage coursed through his veins._

" _You think that's why I don't sleep? Because I feel guilty? I do feel guilty. I will never be able to forgive myself for the fact that I didn't save my youngest subordinate like I promised him I would and he's now a prisoner of Drachma, but that's not why I can't sleep. I haven't told anyone why, and there is a very specific reason for that."_

" _Why?" Hughes asked, a little overconfident that he would be able to handle the answer. "I'm sure all of us will understand how you're feeling. There isn't anything that you can't tell us."_

 _Mustang's eyes flashed dangerously. He was about to mentally snap._

" _You really want to know why, Maes? Fine. I'll tell you what happened," Mustang began, his voice getting progressively louder, "Over the course of those five days, I watched Ed get his chest slashed, every one of his fingers broken, and four of his ribs broken. I didn't just get to watch it. Vincent made me participate in some of it. He had me whip Ed and rip every one of his fingernails off. I didn't exactly have much of a choice. If I didn't, Vincent threatened to make him suffer through worse. Do you have any idea of what it's like to have to torture your own subordinate?"_

 _Hughes could only stare at his friend with wide eyes. What surprised him even more was that Mustang wasn't done, his voice still getting louder. He was practically yelling by this point._

" _Vincent killed Ed. Actually killed him. He forced Ed's head into a tub of water and didn't pull him out until he had drowned, then he resuscitated Ed. Do you know why? Just to prove that he could kill Ed at anytime, and so he could hold it over my head that he was the reason that Ed was alive. Not long after that, we were separated for two days. I was drugged for all that time, but Ed was awake for every second of it. He was given a hallucinogen that made him think that Vincent was me torturing him. Vincent carved into Ed's stomach that he was the property of Drachma and did other things that I don't even know about because Ed wouldn't tell me." He paused and stood up so he towered over Hughes. "Worst of all, Vincent raped Edward. Multiple times. After Ed had his lips crudely sewn shut, Vincent threatened Ed that if he fought back when he did it that he would do the same to me. Ed actually let him. Do you have any idea how it makes me feel to know that one of the boys that I see as a son let himself be sexually assaulted so that I wasn't? You said that everyone would understand how I was feeling, but you can't possibly even begin to understand that!_

" _It's already bad enough that I lived through it, but I didn't want to tell anyone so that they wouldn't have to even imagine Ed going through that. Every time I go to sleep, I relive all of it. I see him getting tortured and I can't do anything to stop it. That's why I don't sleep. I want to be at my best so I can help Ed as soon as the moment comes that we can, but I can't go back to that hell, and that's what you all trapped me in for the past eleven hours."_

 _Hughes was completely pale and his mouth was open, at a complete loss for words._

" _Roy, I'm-"_

 _Mustang didn't let him finish before he stormed out of his office. He froze as soon as he opened the door. All of his team was still there, and he could tell by the looks on their faces that they heard everything. He wasn't exactly being quiet. Fuery was throwing up into a nearby trashcan. Havoc and Breda looked like they were doing everything they could not to break down. He couldn't blame them. He knew that they saw Ed like a younger brother and they didn't want to hear about anything bad happening to him, but that obviously didn't happen. Even normally stoic Falman had the blood completely drained from his face, turning it a sickly gray color. What made his heart nearly stop was that he saw Alphonse with them. Hawkeye was standing next to him with a hand on his arm, obviously trying to comfort him, but she looked like she was barely able to keep her composure for once. Unable to face Al at the moment, or anyone on his team for that matter, he ran. He didn't stop running until he reached the gate in front of Central Command._

 _He wanted to leave Central. He wanted to go straight to Drachma and look for Edward, but he knew that wasn't logical. Not being able to do anything to help him for the time being was killing him, though. He couldn't even imagine what the poor kid was going through right now. He felt like he was failing both Ed and Al, and it made him angry. He was brought out of his thoughts when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked behind him to see Alphonse._

" _Al," he breathed, "I'm...I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for you to hear all that. You shouldn't have had to find out what happened to Ed like you did. I let my anger get the better of me, and I shouldn't have."_

 _He hung his head, ashamed of himself. He was surprised when Al pulled him into a hug. After a moment of shock, he returned the embrace._

" _Colonel, it's okay. After hearing everything that you and brother went through, I can understand why you snapped. I don't blame you for anything, even if you think I should for what you had to do to brother. You said that you had a choice, but everyone knows that you really didn't."_

 _The two stood in the embrace in silence, both needing each other's presence. The silence was comforting in a way, but it was also tense. There were other things those two needed to address. Mustang finally gathered the courage to break it._

" _How are you doing, Al?"_

 _Normally that would be a vague question, but Al knew exactly what the Colonel meant._

" _Honestly, not great. I can't even imagine the pain that brother must have been in or how scared he was. I don't even want to think about what's happening to him now."_

 _It was barely noticeable, but Al's hollow voice slightly cracked at the end. He was trying so hard to be strong like his older brother, but this was obviously very difficult for him. Mustang was about to say something else when Al pulled away and handed him a small bottle with a note attached to it._

" _I-I need to go, but Lieutenant Hawkeye asked me to give you those. She said they're supposed to induce a dreamless sleep. I volunteered to give them to you after what happened today. I know you're probably still angry, but your team had good intentions. We were all worried about you, but we didn't know your nightmares were that bad. Just remember, asking for help is never a sign of weakness."_

 _ ***end flashback***_

Mustang felt almost embarrassed as he remembered that day. He was ashamed that he let himself get to a point that his team had to go to such drastic measures to get him to properly take care of himself. Since then, he tried being more open with his team about how he was doing. That was harder for him the past couple of weeks because he wasn't doing too well. None of the generals had heard from the spies sent into Drachma for three weeks. Before they were officially missing, they hadn't found anything that could help the military track down his subordinate. The more time that went by with no word on Edward, the worse his depression and anxiety got.

He set the bottle of pills back in the cabinet and got dressed for the day. As much as he was dreading the winter ball that evening, he was glad that he would at least get to see Alphonse. The younger Elric had made a habit of visiting him a few times a week while he was in Central. Since the Colonel wasn't allowed to do much, he came to really appreciate Al's visits. He had just finished getting dressed when he heard a knock at the door.

"Hey, Al!" he greeted and stepped aside so the suit of armor could enter. "What have you been up to?"

"I spent some time at the library today doing some research on the Philosopher's Stone."

"Any new leads?" the Colonel asked, genuinely curious.

"I found something that looks promising…." Al started, but trailed off.

"Is something wrong?"

Al sighed.

"I've just had a hard time doing research without brother. This was something we were supposed to do together. It just doesn't feel right doing it alone."

Mustang simply nodded. Al had never told him that before, but it didn't surprise him at all. Much like himself, Al had been doing worse the longer his brother was missing. Mustang tried to avoid that topic the rest of the time that Al was there. They settled for just discussing alchemy. Al pulled out the various books he had brought to show Mustang. The Colonel and younger Elric actually have learned a lot from each other during their visits over the past few weeks. They both had studied alchemy in very different ways, and while Mustang would never reveal anything about flame alchemy, he still had a lot of knowledge that he would love to share with Al. As it came time for the Colonel to get ready for the ball, Al began packing up the books. He was about to leave when Mustang stopped him.

"Thank you for coming, Alphonse. It means a lot to me."

"You're welcome, Colonel. I very much enjoy it."

The simple response meant the world to Mustang. He would probably never admit it to anyone, but one of his biggest fears about the Elric brothers finding out how he felt about them was that they wouldn't feel the same way and reject him. That definitely wasn't the case as the he discovered from Ed and back in Kanon and Al over the last few weeks. Once Al left, he let out a sigh and got ready for the ball.

 ***two hours later***

Mustang tried not to groan as Havoc pulled into the parking lot of the Renaissance hotel. Since this was one of the largest military events of the year, it had to be held at the biggest hotel in all of Central, which also had the grandest ballroom. As much as he was sick of only seeing his dorm and Central Command, he really didn't want to be in a ballroom full of people for several hours. He, Havoc, Breda, and Falman got out of the car and headed toward the entrance of the hotel. Hughes, Gracia, Hawkeye, and Fuery were outside waiting for them. Seeing Hughes and Gracia made him a little sad. Everyone in the military attending the ball was allowed to bring a guest if they so desired. He had invited Al to come and the rest of the team practically begged him to go, but he had politely declined. It was understandable, though. He knew he would feel out of place being at a military event without his brother, so no one pressured him into going.

Gracia greeted Mustang with a hug as the four caught up to the rest, mentioning something about Elicia wanting to visit her Uncle Roy soon. They all were about to enter the hotel when Mustang saw something out of the corner of his eye. He looked across the street from the hotel and froze. There was a boy standing across the street, his long black hair pulled back into a ponytail. The boy's lips were also sewn shut, making Mustang think that he might be in a nightmare. He nearly collapsed when his eyes met the golden ones. He was actually staring at Edward Elric.

"Sir, is something wrong?" Hawkeye asked, putting a hand on his arm.

"Edward," Mustang whispered.

A car passed along the street in front of Ed, then he was gone. As quickly as he had appeared, he disappeared.

"Edward!" Mustang yelled as he bolted across the street.

"Colonel!" Hawkeye called as she made to go after him.

"Stay here, we'll bring him back," Hughes ordered as he and Havoc ran after Mustang.

Mustang ran down the street, desperately looking for any sign of his subordinate. He wasn't sure how long he had been running or how far he had gone, but he had to find Ed. There was nothing more in the world he wanted than to find him, hold him, and never let him go again. That served as his fuel to keep running. He only stopped when he could no longer breathe. He looked around, but saw nothing. At this point, Hughes and Havoc were finally able to catch up to him.

"He was here," he mumbled, "He...he was here. I saw him. I would know those golden eyes anywhere."

It nearly broke Hughes's heart to see his best friend like this, and he had to break it to him that Ed was never there.

"Roy," Hughes said, the sadness evident in his voice, "Ed's not here. I'm so sorry. I know how much it means to you that you find him-"

He was cut off when Mustang grabbed him roughly by the shoulders.

"I know what I saw, Maes. He was _here._ I don't know what I can do to make you believe me, but I saw him."

"Boss, I know this has been a hard few months for you. We all want Ed back, but we know that you do most of all. Since that's all you've been thinking about the last few months, your mind is probably playing tricks on you. Please, you need to come back to the ball with us. Everyone's worried about you," Havoc tried to reason.

Mustang took a few shaky breaths, then he released his friend's shoulders.

"You're probably right, Havoc."

He couldn't help but glance around one last time before he allowed Hughes and Havoc to lead him back toward the hotel.

 ***break***

Ed looked down on the three men from the rooftop, unable to say anything. He wanted to alert them of his presence, but he couldn't even move. He stiffened when a pair of arms wrapped around him.

"Your commanding officer has really lost it, hasn't he?" Vincent hissed in his ear.

He pulled the young alchemist away from the edge of the rooftop. He walked around in front of him and took his face in his hands, forcing their eyes to meet.

"We've been preparing you for this, Edward. Are you ready?"

Ed gave no indication of a response. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't have. He didn't even realize that tears had been welling up in his eyes until one fell down his cheek and Vincent wiped it away.

"Don't worry, you and Colonel Mustang will be reunited soon enough."

 **And there's the first chapter! The flashback scene wound up being a lot longer than I planned originally, but oh well. Anyways, let me know what you think! I should be updating fairly soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again! I'm back with another chapter! Thank you all so much for the amazing response to the first one! You guys are awesome. I forgot to say so in the last author's note, but thank you so much for being patient with me for this sequel! Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

 **I still do not own Fullmetal Alchemist...and there are probably good reasons for that.**

Dread began pooling in Mustang's stomach as he entered the ballroom. He knew that he hadn't been looking forward to the ball, but he didn't realize to what extent until he actually got there. Of course, recent events probably played a prominent role in that. His sight was assaulted with the extravagant Christmas decor that covered nearly every inch of the room except for the dance floor. His eyes were immediately drawn to the stage at the front of the ballroom. There was a string quartet up on the stage playing the cheery music that miraculously could be heard throughout the entire room. He glared at the podium that stood in the middle of the stage. The Fuhrer gave a speech at the ball every year. They were usually extremely boring, but he was actually somewhat interested to see how this year's speech would go. Each year all of the generals would stand by the Fuhrer's side on the stage, smiling and nodding along with whatever he was droning on about, but that might actually change this year.

Fuhrer Bradley's actions concerning the matter of the Drachman spies in Kanon didn't go over so well with some of the generals. General Raven was obviously one of them, along with General Grumman back in East City. Much to his surprise, General Armstrong strongly opposed his decisions and actions and definitely made that known. Of course, there were those generals that would stand by him no matter what, like General Grand and General Edison. What made the situation even more frustrating was that aside from the generals, Mustang's team, and Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, no one knew the real reason why Edward Elric was still missing. All the reinforcements from South City knew was that a mine inspection had gone horribly wrong and two state alchemists needed to be rescued from Drachmans. They weren't aware of the Fuhrer's role in anything. What was even more aggravating was the fact that some of his loyal generals threatened to disband Mustang's team if they said a word about him. That would tarnish his reputation within the military and the people of Amestris, and that couldn't happen in their eyes.

Mustang looked around at all the military officers. No matter how many balls he went to, it was still strange not seeing them in uniform. Most of the men wore black suits and ties, much like he did, and the women wore floor length dresses. It was almost upsetting seeing them dancing, chatting with one another, and overall enjoying themselves, completely unaware of just how corrupt their leaders were. Most of the lower ranking officers weren't even aware just how many Drachman spies had infiltrated Amestris and that they were on the brink of war. He was brought out of his thoughts when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I had a feeling I would get to see you here, Colonel Mustang."

Much to his delight, Mustang turned around to see Luka and his two sisters, Ava and Isabel. Until meeting them, he didn't know that Ava and Isabel were identical twins, both with long brown hair, the exact same color as Luka's. Mustang honestly couldn't tell them apart, but he was lucky that the two were always together and he actually never had to address just one of them. He thought back to when Luka and his sisters first arrived. They arrived in Central and immediately turned themselves over to the military. The three siblings remained in prison until Mustang and Hughes, along with a lot of help from General Raven, could convince Fuhrer Bradley and the other generals to allow the them to join the Amestrian military. Now that he thought about it, it was almost purely General Raven's doing. He remembered Luka saying that even if he and his sisters had remained in prison, they would at least be safe. Vincent wouldn't be able to send anyone to kill them while they were in the prison in Central.

The three were interrogated and they gave up any information they knew quite willingly. Mustang testified for Luka, explaining how he had helped him and Ed to the best of his ability while they were both in captivity. He learned from Hughes that Luka had been the one to cause the explosion that destroyed the Drachmans' supplies and distracted them enough for his team and South City's reinforcements to find him. He knew it was a big risk for Hughes, Hawkeye, and Havoc to take Luka's word. They could get in a lot of trouble since it could have risked the lives of several soldiers, so he included it in his own testimony. He also mentioned how Luka's cooperation with the Drachman spies was driven purely for the protection of his sisters. General Raven played a key role in convincing the other generals, but it seemed to work. Since then, Luka had been working in the research labs in Central. They were very impressed by what he had managed to come up with in the short time he had been working there, and his fellow researchers had nothing to say but how brilliant he was and what great contributions he was making in their medical advancements. Ava and Isabel are amazing snipers. Not as good as Hawkeye, of course, but the Amestrian military could definitely use them. Overall, they were fitting in quite nicely.

Mustang held out his hand for Luka to shake.

"It's good to see you, Luka," he said, then he turned to his sisters, "Hello again, Ava and Isabel. You two look lovely this evening."

Luka gave him a sad smile.

"I'm glad to see that you're doing okay."

Mustang simply nodded. He knew that Luka was probably referring to the events earlier this evening. He probably ran into Hughes earlier who told him what happened. The Colonel would never forget the look of pure devastation on Luka's face when he had to break it to him that Ed hadn't been rescued. These past four months had been hard on them both, but they knew that had to keep going for Ed. Hawkeye joined up with them and greeted Isabel and Ava with a hug. The three of them got along very well and made a habit of going shooting whenever they could at the range in Central Command. They immediately engaged in some conversation about the newest guns they got to try out the last time they went shooting, paying absolutely no attention to Mustang or Luka.

"Snipers, huh?" Luka laughed.

He was about to say something else when he was dragged to the dance floor by one of the female researchers from his lab, practically demanding that he dance with her. He shot the Colonel a desperate look as he was dragged away which caused him to chuckle. Mustang looked around the ballroom. Gracia and Hughes were dancing while Havoc was attempting to flirt with a female officer, but was failing miserably. He didn't see Breda, Falman, nor Fuery, but he figured that they were probably at one of the various food tables spread throughout the extravagant room. His heart nearly stopped when he noticed Fuhrer Bradley chatting and laughing with some of the lower-ranking officers that he didn't recognize. He wanted to punch the man's smile right off of his face. He abhorred how he talked with the various military officers and acted like he cared about them. Mustang felt bad for them. At one point, he too believed that the Fuhrer only had the best intentions for Amestris in mind and he actually cared about his countrymen. He was most definitely proven wrong. His blood froze as Bradley made eye contact with him and started to make his way toward him.

"Sir, would you care to dance with me?"

Hawkeye was his saving grace. She grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the dance floor. Mustang let out a sigh of relief. Ever since his meeting with the Fuhrer and the generals upon returning to Central four months ago, he and Bradley weren't exactly on the best terms.

 _ ***flashback***_

 _Mustang took a deep breath as General Raven escorted him toward the conference room. He was not looking forward to this meeting at all. The General put a hand on his shoulder._

" _Are you sure you're ready for this, Colonel?" he asked, concern evident in his voice, "You just arrived back in Central last night. I know Fuhrer Bradley was rather insistent on you coming in for the report today, but I'm sure I could convince him to give you a few more days given the circumstances."_

" _No. I'm not going to be any more ready in a few days than I am now. Besides, this is pertinent information that needs to be reported immediately."_

 _The two continued to walk in silence until they reached the conference room. General Raven was about to open the door when an angry voice from inside froze them in their tracks._

" _And exactly who the hell came up with the brilliant idea to send those two in alone? We're extremely lucky that we only lost one of them!" a woman roared._

" _I see General Armstrong made it in and has been briefed," Raven muttered, barely able to keep the fear out of his voice._

 _Mustang tensed. He had forgotten that Raven had said the Fuhrer called every general in the Amestrian military to Central a couple of days ago for this meeting. Considering the fact that a full scale war with Drachma could potentially break out in the near future, he thought it was necessary for every general be present to hear the information straight from Mustang all at once. He guessed that they would come up with some sort of plan of action after he was dismissed. Raven hesitantly opened the door. All eyes turned to the two newcomers. There was an enormous table in the center of the room. It was almost intimidating. Fuhrer Bradley, sitting at the head of the table, stood as they entered._

" _Welcome, Lieutenant General Raven and Colonel Mustang!" he said in his usual jovial tone, as if this were just a friendly gathering._

 _Of course, this just got on Mustang's nerves. He noticed two empty chairs next to General Grumman. If there was any upside to every general being there, it's that it meant Grumman would be too. He quickly sat down next to his former superior who gave him a reassuring grin, but it seemed forced. He could see in Grumman's eyes that he wasn't pleased with recent events. He glanced around the table. Some of the generals regarded him with pity while others looked on him with disdain, as if it were his fault that he and Ed had been captured. He figured they might actually think that, depending on what Bradley had told them. He risked a glance at General Armstrong. Although she had appeared to have calmed down a little, it was obvious that she was still pissed. He quickly looked away, scared that he would have to face her wrath if he looked at her too long. He was beyond terrified of her and he sure as hell wasn't afraid to admit that._

" _Whenever you're ready, Colonel, we would like to hear your report of the events in Kanon," Bradley said._

 _Mustang started from the very beginning when he and Ed were ambushed in the mine. He told them everything that Vincent had shared with him about Drachma: the Drachman spies hiding all throughout the country, the fact that he had been watched since the Eastern Rebellion and Fullmetal had been watched since the time that he joined the military, how they had the means to force Ed to join them and that was why they were willing to leave him behind, at least for now, and take Ed with them, the fact that Drachma was planning on going to war with Amestris within the next couple of years. He could see the shocked look on everyone's faces as he shared this information. Much like him, they weren't aware of just how many spies had managed to sneak in to Amestris and how long they had been there._

" _Is that everything, Colonel?" Bradley asked once he was finished, "I noticed that you only briefly mentioned Major Elric in your report. Is there anything else we should know?"_

 _Mustang's eyes narrowed at the man. He had shared everything about Ed that he needed to. He had purposely avoided talking about him more than he had to because he wasn't sure if he could keep himself together if he had to describe what happened to his subordinate. However, quite the opposite seemed to happen seeing as the Fuhrer's question only served to anger him._

" _What you need to know is that Major Elric was brutally tortured when I wouldn't cooperate. The details of that are not relevant to preparing for this potential war, so I wish to not speak of it, sir," he said, unable to keep the coldness out of his tone._

 _Fuhrer Bradley gave him a sympathetic smile._

" _I see. I am sorry that you had to witness that, Colonel. The events that transpired in Kanon were rather unfortunate."_

" _If only they could have been avoided," Grumman piped in quite bitterly._

 _Bradley ignored the comment. It was rather obvious that some of the other generals agreed, but they weren't bold enough to say so._

" _Anyway," he continued, "From this point on, I see it fit for you to move into the dorms. One of your subordinates should also escort you at all times. From what you told us, the Drachmans will try to come back for you. These precautions for your protection must be taken so we don't lose another valued state alchemist. Do you have any questions about this, Colonel?"_

 _Mustang was having a difficult time keeping control of himself. Bradley was now worried about something happening to him? That was rich considering the fact that he seemed to have no problem sending him and Ed head first into an extremely dangerous situation._

" _With all due respect, sir, would you mind explaining to me why you're willing to take these precautions now, but you weren't willing to warn Major Elric and I about the Drachman spies in the south that you had knowledge of?"_

 _Addressing the Fuhrer in such a manner probably wasn't going to help him rise faster through the ranks, but he didn't care at that point. His son was gone and he deserved some answers. Some of the generals glared at him, as if they couldn't believe that he dared to question the Fuhrer's decisions. Others, like Armstrong and Grumman, looked genuinely curious as to how Bradley would try to justify himself. Much to Mustang's annoyance, his calm demeanor remained, but his usual smile faltered and his eyebrows raised slightly._

" _Are you implying that the capture of you and Major Elric was my fault, Colonel Mustang?"_

" _You're the one who gave me the mission without the proper information, are you not?" Mustang countered, raising his voice._

 _Fuhrer Bradley sighed._

" _If it will help you cope to believe that, then feel free to do so," he began, "However, do remember that the only things I am to blame for are overestimating you and Major Elric's abilities as state alchemists and your ability to protect your subordinate. Had you actually lived up to my expectations, Major Elric would be here with us today. I didn't think some Drachmans would be more than you could handle, but I guess I was wrong. You-"_

" _I think that's enough, sir," Armstrong cut in._

 _Mustang didn't even realize that he had started to get up until Grumman and Raven grabbed his arms and were trying, and failing, to get him to sit back down. He was livid to the point of his body trembling. Everyone was surprised that Olivier would interrupt the Fuhrer, but no one questioned her. Honestly, they were too afraid to. That infuriating smile returned to Bradley's face._

" _I suppose you're right, Major General," he said, then he turned back to Mustang, "I understand the past week has been quite traumatic for you. I would recommend that you take some time off before returning to work. You are dismissed, Colonel. As for the rest of you, we will meet back up in an hour."_

 _Grumman put his hands on Mustang's shoulders and quickly escorted him out of the conference room and away from the other generals, Raven following not too far behind._

" _He has some nerve," Grumman growled under his breath, "I'm so sorry, Roy. He was way out of line. You're not at fault for anything that happened. He's just too prideful to admit to his mistake. You shouldn't have had to hear that."_

 _Mustang was too angry to say anything. He thought Bradley would deny any accusations that he was at fault for the events in Kanon, but to go as far as to blame him for it? He had honestly thought the Fuhrer couldn't sink any lower than he already had, but he was obviously proven otherwise. What made matters worse was that some of the generals believed every word he said. Raven took the lead and guided them to his office. He figured no one would try to bother them there, so it would be a good place for Mustang to calm down. Once they arrived, Raven quickly shut the door._

" _Are you okay?" he asked._

 _Mustang simply shook his head and sat down. Grumman sat down next to him and put a comforting hand on his back. If he had lied, Grumman probably would have called him out on it. The man knew him a little too well. The two Lieutenant Generals didn't say anything, and for that he was very grateful. He really didn't feel like talking anymore, and neither one of them made him. Raven's face fell when he heard a knock on the door. He hesitantly opened it and was surprised to see General Armstrong. Mustang's eyes widened. Before, he had been too angry to register the fact that she basically stood up for him to the Fuhrer. That seemed to click when he saw her again._

" _General Armstrong, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Raven asked, curious as to why she would be there._

" _I was hoping I could speak to you and Lieutenant General Grumman," she said as she entered the office, her normally cold expression perfectly intact. She then realized that the Colonel was there. "If this isn't a good time, I can come back."_

" _It's fine, I was just leaving," Mustang said, the first words he had spoken since the meeting._

 _He stood up and was heading out the door._

" _I'll take you back to your team, Colonel," Grumman said as he got up as well. He faced the Major General. "I'll be back shortly."_

 _Right before he left, Mustang spun around on his heel._

" _Thank you, General, for what you did back in that meeting. It honestly surprised me."_

 _Her back was to him, but he could see that she visibly stiffened. He expected the notorious Ice Queen to deny that she did it for him. He was well aware that she wasn't too fond of him._

" _I don't like you, Mustang, and I never will," she said in her usual cold tone. She turned her head slightly so he could now see one of her eyes, "But that doesn't mean that I like hearing that you and your subordinate suffered because the Fuhrer made a stupid mistake that he can't seem to take responsibility for. For whatever it's worth, I'm sorry for what happened to you and Major Elric."_

 _Mustang walked with Grumman toward his office completely dumbfounded. General Armstrong siding with him on anything was sure to be a sign of the apocalypse. Of course, this could be a good thing. It at least meant that she wasn't completely blind to the corruptness in their military. He inwardly smiled. It might be extremely reluctant and General Armstrong would probably never admit to it, but he might have another ally._

 _ ***end flashback***_

Mustang could kiss Hawkeye for saving him from having to interact with Fuhrer Bradley. He remembered bitterly how, later on that day, Basque Grand had come to his office and practically threatened his team into remaining silent on the matter. Luckily, none of them had been in any situation where they would potentially run into the Fuhrer or his loyal generals since that day. Until tonight, that is.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Mustang breathed as he guided her along the dance floor.

"Of course, Colonel. I don't want you speaking with him unless you absolutely have to," she whispered back.

Hawkeye had probably been the angriest of his entire team when he told them what the Fuhrer had said to him. He could see it on her face that she still wasn't very pleased. Seeing Bradley probably resurrected the anger that she was unconsciously still feeling. Mustang thought it best to change the subject.

"Have I told you that you look lovely tonight, Lieutenant?" he said with his customary smirk.

She gave him a small smile as he continued to gracefully lead her through the dance. He made eye contact with Hughes on the dance floor, who raised his eyebrows at him. He could practically hear the man telling him to get a wife and he rolled his eyes, causing Hughes to laugh. After the song finished, the music stopped completely. The Fuhrer made his way toward the podium, and everyone gathered toward the stage. Several generals joined him. However, there weren't as many on the stage with him as there had been in the past. Given the situation with Drachma, only the generals in Central were required to attend the ball. The others were asked to remain at their respective stations. Unfortunately, that meant General Grumman and General Armstrong weren't there.

Mustang and Hawkeye joined the rest of the team. Hughes and Gracia found their way to them as well. He noticed that General Raven wasn't on the stage. He briefly wondered where he was until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and, sure enough, the Lieutenant General was standing by his side instead of the Fuhrer's. Raven smiled at him before turning his eyes to the stage. Just as Bradley was about to speak, the lights in the ballroom began flickering. Hushed whispers could be heard throughout the crowd of military officers and their guests. Based on the facial expressions of the men on stage, they didn't know what was happening.

"What the hell?" Raven muttered as he looked around, trying to figure out what was going on.

Suddenly, three loud gunshots were fired. Screams filled the room and several officers pulled out their weapons, but weren't sure who or what to aim at. The Fuhrer was pulled off the stage and lead to safety. More gunshots were heard and several people began running, trying desperately to get out of the ballroom. Mustang's first thought was the Drachmans. He was startled when General Raven grabbed his arm.

"We need to get you out of here now!" the Lieutenant General roared over the screams.

Apparently, he was thinking the same thing. The two bolted for one of the exits, his team right on their heels. He pulled on his ignition gloves as he ran. They were almost to the exit when several familiar blue flashes of alchemy started at the floor and scurried up to the ceiling, leaving giant cracks along the way. The screams got even louder when the building started to crumble.

 **And there's the second chapter! Sorry that this was yet another Mustang centric chapter. There will be lots of Ed in the next one, I promise! I hope you all enjoyed seeing Luka again as well as some other familiar characters. Considering that a war with Drachma is involved, I couldn't help but include Olivier. Of course, that could also be due to the fact that I just watched a butt load of FMA scenes on youtube with her...well whatever. I've never written a story with her before, so I'm sorry if she was a bit OOC. Also, if Fuhrer Bradley came across as a total douchebag, he was supposed to. I personally thought he was in Brotherhood, so that's how he will be in this story. I also promise that there will be more action in the next chapter. Anyways, until next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I hope everyone has had a great Memorial Day weekend! I have returned with yet another chapter! Hopefully the events of this chapter will make up for the last one.**

 **Warning: Some mature things will be mentioned, but again, there will be absolutely no detail. I just realized that I probably should have put a warning in the author's note for the first chapter about that. My apologies.**

 **I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

Mustang had just exited the crumbling building when he heard the first explosion, but he didn't have time to look toward the direction of the sound. General Raven pushed him to keep running, and his team wasn't even a beat behind. There was another explosion, this one close enough to make all of those running stumble. The Colonel would have fallen completely if Raven hadn't grabbed his arms and kept him upright. He looked up to see that the buildings across the street from the hotel were reduced to rubble. As they kept running, the smoke cleared and they could see the bodies of those who had been unfortunate enough to be across the street at the time of the explosion. However, they couldn't stop. Whoever was doing this was still out there and could attack them at any time.

"We need to get you to Central Command. You'll be safe there, Colonel," Raven huffed as he kept running.

Central Command was just over two miles away from the Renaissance Hotel. There were plenty of officers on duty, even during the ball. It would be the safest place for them. The only problem would be that they would have to get there by foot. There were too many people flooding the streets and the explosions had caused some buildings to collapse, effectively blocking the roads. Adrenaline coursed through Mustang as he and his team turned down the street that would give them a straight shot to their destination. Yet another explosion was heard as they rounded the corner, followed by another. They abruptly stopped when they were met with the sight of several people dressed in black making their way down the street.

"Drachmans," the Colonel muttered under his breath.

Raven led them down an alley between two buildings before they could be spotted and they took shelter behind a dumpster. While Mustang's team was beyond capable of fighting, there were too many Drachmans coming down that street, and who knew how many others there were out there. Mustang had his fingers poised to snap and the others had their weapons drawn in the event that they were discovered hiding in the alley. Luck was on their side and they all passed without acknowledging them. Mustang let out the breath he didn't know he had been holding. As much faith that he had in his team, he was grateful that no one had to risk getting themselves hurt yet. Havoc quietly moved out from their hiding spot so he could peek around to see if there were any more Drachmans coming.

While he was waiting for Havoc's signal, something caught Mustang's attention out of the corner of his eye. It was another black-clad figure standing at the other end of the alley, but this one much shorter than the others. The kid's long black hair was pulled back into a ponytail. He was yet again met with a familiar pair of golden eyes. He then realized that he hadn't been hallucinating earlier. He had really seen Edward Elric, and here he was again. However, there was another part of him that thought he might be going crazy. He had to make sure the others could see him too. Hawkeye spoke up, as if she read his mind.

"Is that...Ed?" she asked as if she couldn't believe her own two eyes, which she probably couldn't and didn't want to considering he looked like a bloody, living rag doll with his lips sewn shut.

So he wasn't crazy. It was really his subordinate. Before anyone could stop him, he sprinted toward the teen.

"Colonel, stop! It has to be a trap!" Hawkeye yelled.

Mustang just heard her warning when he was propelled forward by a strong force, causing him to land several feet away from where he had just previously been. After a few seconds of his ears ringing, he registered that another bomb had detonated. He coughed as smoke permeated the air.

"Is everyone okay?" he managed to ask between coughs.

"Everyone's fine!" Breda called.

Mustang turned over on his back just in time to see bricks falling toward him. He quickly rolled out of the way. He looked between the two buildings and noticed that they were starting to collapse.

"Run!" he ordered his men.

Everyone made it out of the alley just in time before the two buildings completely collapsed. Unfortunately, since Mustang had ran away from his team, they were separated by the rubble. He was pretty sure he heard General Raven yell something at him about staying put and they would come find him, but he wasn't sure. His eyes were too focused on the kid in front of him. The second he turned around after the buildings collapsed, he came face to face with his missing subordinate. Gunshots resounded around him, but he payed them no mind.

"Ed?" he whispered as he took a step closer to the young alchemist.

It looked as if the kid was trying to say something because blood started to steadily flow from the stitches, but of course nothing came out. He didn't move as Mustang approached him. The Colonel knelt down, putting his hands on Ed's shoulders. Even though he was touching him, he couldn't believe that Ed was standing before him. The kid still didn't make a move. Mustang ran his hands down Ed's arms, trying to comfort him.

"It's okay, Edward. As long as I'm here, you'll be safe," he said in the hopes of getting some form of reaction out of him.

Mustang's brow furrowed in confusion as his hand ran over a lump on Ed's automail arm. The kid still didn't move, so he carefully rolled up the sleeve on Ed's black shirt. His eyes widened when he saw a strange device on Ed's automail. By no means was he a genius when it came to automail, but having seen Ed's automail arm close up during their time in Kanon, he knew that it didn't belong there. He noticed that there were several wires attached to this device that disappeared further up his long sleeve. His eyes traveled up to Ed's neck, which was encircled with bruises. From what, he didn't even want to begin to imagine. He noticed that wires were peeking out from underneath the collar of Ed's shirt, running up his neck. He brushed Ed's bangs away and saw that the wires were attached to his temples.

"What did they do to you?" he muttered.

Before he could even begin to figure out what was on his subordinate, Ed's automail hand clamped around his throat. Automatically, his hands grasped at the automail appendages, desperately trying to release the pressure on his neck.

"Ed...please...stop…." Mustang choked out.

He looked the teen in his golden eyes. He could see that Ed wasn't wanting to hurt him, but something was forcing him to. His first instinct was to fight back, but he would risk harming his subordinate if he did.

"That's enough, Edward," a familiar voice said.

Mustang was surprised when he suddenly found himself flying through the air, landing on the ground in front of two other Drachmans. It was easy to forget that Ed was incredibly strong despite his small size. He didn't even have time to react before his ignition gloves were torn off his hands and strong arms were dragging him away. He tried digging his heels into the ground to stop himself from being dragged off, but it was doing him little good.

"It's good to see you again, Colonel."

Mustang looked up to see Corin following close behind, smirking down at him. He had a hand on Ed's shoulder, guiding him along behind them. Mustang's struggles weren't deterring the Drachmans holding him, so he was grateful when he heard two gunshots and he was dropped back down on the ground. Corin aimed his gun, but he was quickly brought down with a shot to his shoulder before he could even pull the trigger.

"Boss, are you okay?" Havoc asked as he and Breda helped the Colonel to his feet.

"I'm fine," he said, "We have to help Fullmetal."

The rest of the team quickly joined them, and Hawkeye handed him a spare pair of ignition gloves. They all stared in absolute shock and concern at Ed, who was standing by Corin's side. Only Mustang and Hawkeye got a decent look at him in the alley before the bomb went off. If the others hadn't known that it was Ed, they never would have recognized him. None of them wanted to believe that the horror standing before them was their comrade.

"Edward?" Hawkeye asked hesitantly before taking a small step forward.

Mustang put his arm up to stop her from going any further. That was a good call considering Ed had clapped his hands and slammed them on the ground. A large spike shot up in the spot that the First Lieutenant would have been in had she gotten any closer to the young alchemist.

"He doesn't want to hurt us, but there's something forcing him to fight us. We need to get his automail off. There's something wrong with it," Mustang explained, and his team immediately sprung into action.

They surrounded Ed, narrowly dodging the spikes shooting up from the ground. The kid slowly turned in a circle, trying to figure out who would attack him first. Unfortunately, the Drachmans determined that their newest human weapon needed some help. Several Drachman soldiers came running toward them. Mustang had to make a decision, and fast. After quickly looking around the street, he noticed that it was deserted except for his team and the approaching Drachmans. He snapped, forming a wall of fire between his men and their enemy. The screams of those who had been too close to the fire rang through the air as they burned alive, but Mustang had to ignore that for now. He had to keep his team safe. If there was any upside, it's that the rest would likely retreat after seeing that little display.

He snapped yet again when Ed clapped his hands and the blue alchemic light was heading toward Breda, destroying whatever Ed had intended to create before it could harm the Second Lieutenant. Ed spun around to face him. Deeming the Flame Alchemist to be the greatest threat, he transmuted the ground in front of him. Mustang snapped, but he wasn't quick enough this time. A concrete fist slammed into him, causing him to fly through the air until he hit a nearby building, falling to the ground unconscious. General Raven raced to his side in an instant.

"Colonel!" Hawkeye called to him.

"Guard him with General Raven. We'll handle the Chief!" Havoc ordered.

While he normally would never tell the First Lieutenant what to do, he knew that someone had to watch out for their Colonel. Falman tackled Ed before he got another chance to clap again. Ed quickly recovered and transmuted his arm into his usual blade. Havoc was the one to face him next. He barely dodged the blade before it skewered him through the chest. He actually made no move to attack Ed, but was simply buying time for Breda to get into position. He kept dodging Ed's punches and swipes with the blade. The kid managed to get in a lucky kick and swept Havoc's legs out from under him. Havoc's eyes widened as Ed stood over him. It looked like Ed was actually going to kill him until Breda cracked the butt of his pistol down on Ed's head, rendering the kid unconscious immediately.

"I'm sorry, Ed," he murmured.

None of them wanted to hurt Ed, so it was quite obvious that Breda was feeling bad about knocking him out. However, it had to be done. Ed wasn't going to quit fighting them otherwise.

Falman and Fuery hurried over and helped detach Ed's automail, remembering what the Colonel said earlier. Once the arm and leg were detached, Havoc scooped Ed up in his arms while Falman picked up the automail. They joined Hawkeye, Raven, and Mustang. The Colonel still hadn't awaken. Blood flowed from the wound on his head from where it collided with the building.

"We need to get them to a hospital," Raven said, his eyes wandering to Ed's face and eyeing the stitches holding his mouth shut.

They all nodded. Havoc carried Ed while Raven and Breda shared Mustang's weight between them. The others remained vigilant for any more Drachmans, but there didn't seem to be any. There were no more gunshots and no more explosions. They seemed to have accomplished what they came to do. Unfortunately, they left half of the city destroyed and several dead in their wake.

 ***break***

Mustang groaned as he started to come around. His head was absolutely killing him. It took him a couple tries, but he managed to open his eyes.

"Where's Fullmetal?" he slurred before he was even completely awake.

"Colonel?"

He blinked a few times and turned his head and saw Hawkeye sitting in a chair beside him. He looked around the room and saw that he was in a hospital.

"How are you feeling?" his First Lieutenant asked.

"Doesn't matter. Where's Fullmetal?" he asked yet again. "Please tell me we have him and he's safe."

Hawkeye gave him a small smile and nodded. Mustang felt as if a thousand pounds had been lifted off of his shoulders. He started to get up when she pushed him gently back onto the bed.

"You have a concussion, so you need to rest. A doctor is taking care of Ed and is looking over his injuries. The others are in the waiting room and haven't heard anything else yet. I told Fuery to come get us as soon as Ed's doctor comes back. Hughes already called Alphonse and he's on his way here now."

Mustang nodded. The last thing he wanted to do was rest. He wanted to search every room in the hospital until he found Ed, but he knew better than to disobey Hawkeye. Hughes strolled into the room, as if Hawkeye saying his name had summoned him.

"You don't look so good, Roy. Those clothes definitely don't suit you," he teased with a wry smile.

The Colonel looked down and noticed that he was in the standard hospital garb. He rolled his eyes at his friend.

"Do you know what happened, Hughes?" he asked.

Hughes and Gracia had gotten separated from him and his team when they were scrambling to get out of the collapsing building and they hadn't seen each other after that point. Considering that his friend was head of investigations, he usually knew information before most of the other officers. The man's face suddenly became serious.

"I'm sure you gathered that Drachma was behind the attack. Several bombs had been placed outside of the hotel to kill those who made it out before it collapsed. Last I heard, the death toll was up to thirty-six military officers and seventeen civilians. Although, it will probably go up. Several people were brought here in critical condition. I was part of the team that checked the hospital for bombs. There was only one, but it never went off. The hospital is surrounded by officers just to be on the safe side. I guess there were a couple of others that didn't detonate. As horrible as it may be, we were actually pretty lucky. From what I've heard, dozens of Drachmans were captured and are being imprisoned now. Interrogations are starting immediately."

"Do we know anyone that was killed?" Mustang asked next.

Hughes sadly nodded.

"Luka's sister, Ava. I guess she and Isabel were trying to help Luka get some injured civillians to safety and she was too close to one of the bombs when it detonated."

Hawkeye could feel tears welling in her eyes, but did everything she could not to let them fall. Ava was her friend. Even though Hughes had already told her that she was killed, hearing it again stabbed a knife through her heart. Mustang frowned. Luka was a good man that only wanted to protect his sisters. He would have to check up on the young medic as soon as he got the chance.

Their heads snapped up when a nurse came in to check on Mustang. Unfortunately for her, Fuery dashed into the room a second after she did.

"Ed's awake!" he panted as he leaned on the door frame.

Mustang jumped off the bed as Hawkeye handed him his dress shirt and jacket, which he quickly put on over the clothes he had been given. He bolted out the door with Hawkeye, Hughes, and Fuery right on his heels.

"Sir, you shouldn't be out of bed!" the nurse yelled after them, but they were long gone.

They didn't stop running until they joined the rest of the team in the waiting room. They were standing with the doctor, who looked to be in is late twenties, much like most of them. The rest of the room was buzzing with nervous chatter and sobs of those waiting to hear about their loved ones.

"I'm Dr. Menton. I'm assuming you all are here for Edward Elric?" he ventured.

All of them nodded. Dr. Menton nodded. He swallowed and flipped through his clip board.

"If you guys will follow me," he said.

They all followed except for Falman, who volunteered to wait behind for Alphonse. Normally Mustang would have suggested that they all wait for the younger Elric, but he didn't want Ed to be alone any longer than he had to be. Given the amount of damage to the streets, it could take a while for Al to get there.

"What I'm wanting to know is what the hell happened to that kid. After I removed the stitches keeping his mouth shut, I checked him over for other injuries. He had twenty slashes on his back. It looked as though the original wounds were inflicted a while ago, but they were reopened and never allowed to completely heal. His fingernails were ripped off and all of his fingers are broken. He has four broken ribs and a carving in his stomach that I had stitch up. The skin around his wrist, upper arm, and ankle is completely shredded. He has a few third degree burns on his back, stomach, and arm. The bruises around his throat indicate strangulation. Considering the severity of the bruises, the young man is quite lucky he doesn't have any brain damage."

The Colonel's eyes darkened and his hands clenched as he heard the doctor list off Ed's injuries. He couldn't get himself to look at his team. He was beyond angry. From the sounds of it, all of the torture that Ed had been put through at the base in Kanon had been inflicted upon him again recently. The young doctor turned to face them when they reached Ed's room. The door was shut and they remained in the hallway. Dr. Menton looked extremely awkward. Mustang's heart dropped. He had a feeling of what was coming next.

"I'm afraid I also found evidence of sexual assault. From the extent of the damage, it looks as if it happened on multiple occasions."

This wasn't the first time Dr. Menton had encountered a rape victim in his career, but they usually weren't this young. It was quite obvious that seeing what happened to the kid disturbed him greatly. Everyone was silent, not wanting to imagine such a thing happening to Ed again, but having to accept that it did.

"Can we see him?" Mustang asked softly.

Dr. Menton nodded.

"I wouldn't expect him to say anything. He didn't say a word to me, but you all might have better luck. Don't excite him too much. I don't want him irritating his injuries. Also, I should warn you that he will probably be extremely tired. It looks as if he hasn't slept or eaten properly in a long time. Months if I had to guess." He glanced at his clipboard again. "I will be back in a few hours to check on him."

Dr. Menton left to tend to the other patients.

"Colonel?"

Mustang turned to see Alphonse and Falman coming down the hall. The Colonel walked forward to greet the suit of armor while Falman joined the others.

"Did you guys really find him?" Al asked.

Mustang nodded. If he could cry, Al would have tears of joy streaming from his eyes. He grabbed the Colonel in a bone crushing hug.

"Al...can't...breathe…."

"I'm sorry, Colonel!" Al exclaimed as he let go of Mustang, "It's just...I'm so happy."

Mustang nodded again, but this time with a small smile. He honestly wasn't sure how he managed that. After hearing about Ed's injuries and how he was assaulted yet again, he wanted burst into tears. He couldn't, though. He had to be strong for his team, for Al, and now for Ed.

"He's awake if you want to see him," he said.

Al looked at the door to his brother's room hesitantly. He wanted to barge into the room and scoop his brother up into a huge hug, but he also remembered what Mustang said happened to him during their captivity in Kanon. That was just over five days. Ed had been missing for four months. He didn't even want to begin to imagine what happened to him and he didn't want to risk scaring his brother.

"How is he?" Al asked.

Mustang's smile faded slightly.

"From what Dr. Menton told us, not good, but he's strong. Stronger than most people should ever have to be. No matter what happened to him, he will recover from this."

The suit of armor nodded. He knew everything the Colonel said was true. However, that didn't ease his hesitation to see his brother.

"I really want to see my brother, but I'm also worried that I might scare him. Colonel, would you mind going in first? You were the last person he saw before he was taken to Drachma. He might respond better to seeing you first."

"I think Al might have a point," Hughes piped up, "None of us know how Ed's doing mentally. Seeing you alone is probably what's best for him at the moment. Al can join you if Ed's feeling up to it."

Mustang couldn't exactly argue with them. They were right. He took a deep breath and opened the door. He quietly closed the door and looked at the kid sitting on the hospital bed. It was strange how much smaller he looked when his automail was gone. The black hair was also something he would never get used to. Ed's eyes widened when he saw the Colonel.

"This can't be real," Ed muttered, "You can't be real. That means they got you. Please tell me you're not real."

"Ed," Mustang said as he cautiously approached the teen, "You're safe now. You're in a hospital in Central."

It was understandable for the young alchemist to be disoriented at the moment. Ed looked confused, but the Colonel could see understanding beginning to stir in those golden orbs. Mustang moved closer to the bed. He didn't move when Ed reached out with a bandaged hand to grab his arm.

"I'm not in Drachma," he said.

Mustang nodded. Ed looked away from him for a moment, but then turned back to him with tears welling in his eyes.

"What did you do before we were separated?" the kid asked.

Mustang smiled.

"I kissed your forehead and told you that you are the strongest soldier I know and that I was proud to call you my son."

"It really is you," Ed said, allowing a couple of the tears to fall. "I really am safe."

Mustang sat down on the bed next to Ed, but the kid shied away.

"Al's waiting outside. Do you want me to go get him?"

Ed tensed, then he furiously shook his head no.

"I can't face him or anyone else. I can barely stand to face you. It's already bad enough that I hurt you," he said pointing to the bruises on Mustang's throat, "But you said that you were proud to call me your son. I've done things, Colonel, horrible things that would make you regret ever saying that to me. I can barely stand to live with myself for doing them…."

Mustang could tell that the kid was wanting to continue, but couldn't. Tears were now steadily streaming down Ed's face. None of what happened was Ed's fault, but it was going to be difficult to convince him otherwise. His subordinate might try to resist him, but he really needed what he was about to do next. Despite the struggles, he pulled Ed into a hug with one arm and tilted his chin up to look at him.

"Edward, I could tell that you weren't in control of yourself. Whatever the Drachmans made you do is not your fault in any way. That aside, don't you dare think that anything you've done could make me love you any less. You are my son, and nothing is ever going to change that."

Ed stopped struggling, allowing himself to burrow into Mustang's chest when the man's words sunk in. The Colonel held the kid as he sobbed, all of the emotions he had been holding in finally coming out. He rubbed his hand up and down Ed's back to comfort him. He noticed that the young alchemist was shivering. He pulled away for a brief moment to take off his jacket.

"Please don't go!" Ed begged as he clutched onto Mustang's shirt, thinking that the Colonel was going to leave him.

"I won't leave you," Mustang whispered.

He draped his jacket around Ed's shoulders and hugged him once again. He propped himself up on the pillows on the bed so his kid was more comfortable. Ed let himself be held. He would probably never admit it to anyone, but he needed it desperately.

"How long will you stay with me?" he asked.

The Colonel smiled and stroked his hair.

"As long as you need me to."

Ed's eyes were starting to droop shut. Mustang remembered what Dr. Menton said about Ed being extremely tired. He gently kissed the top of Ed's head.

"Get some sleep, kiddo."

Ed yawned.

"Can Al come in here?" he asked, trying to keep his eyes open for just a little bit longer.

Mustang called for Al, just loud enough so the suit of armor could hear. The younger Elric cautiously opened the door.

"Hey, Al," Ed sleepily greeted.

"Hello, brother. I'm really happy to see you," Al said as he slowly approached the other two alchemists, his voice slightly cracking.

Ed reached out for his brother, and Al took hold of his only hand. He sighed contently as he snuggled into Mustang's chest, falling asleep almost instantly while holding his brother's hand. The Colonel smiled at Al, then down on Ed, grateful that his little family was reunited. Unknown to the three, the rest of the team cracked open the door and peeked into the room.

"Is Mustang actually smiling?" Fuery asked in a hushed tone.

No one had seen the Colonel genuinely smile since the incident in Kanon. He might have put on a convincing front, but he couldn't fool his own team. They knew him far too well. Hughes grinned as he watched the touching scene before them.

"Of course he is. Why wouldn't he? He has both of his sons again."

 **And there's the third chapter! I had so much fun writing the second half of this chapter, and I hope you all enjoyed it! Fluffy Parental!RoyEd stuff gives me life. I was listening to "Close to You" by Think Up Anger on repeat as I was writing the end. The minute I heard that song, I thought of Ed and Roy. I don't really know why, I just did.**

 **I know that it probably doesn't make a whole lot of sense right now of how the Drachmans were able to control Ed, but I promise that will be explained later on. Anyways, until next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I have returned yet again with yet another chapter! I apologize for the longer wait for this chapter. This week has been crazier than I anticipated. Anyways, thank you so much for the response to this story so far! My heart is filled with joy when I see that y'all are enjoying it.**

 **I still do not own FMA...I wish I did...Ed and Roy might have a different opinion though.**

" _Edward, there's no need to hide from me. What are you afraid of?"_

 _A shiver ran down Ed's spine as he heard Vincent's words. There was an infinite number of reasons for why he should be scared. He quickly ducked around the corner of the hallway he was running down and stopped to finally catch his breath. Vincent would probably have some form of punishment for him for escaping, but he didn't care about that now. He had to find Mustang. He was around there somewhere. He had to make sure he was okay._

" _If you give yourself up now, I won't harm the Colonel."_

 _Ice flowed through Ed's veins as he remained in his hiding spot. He didn't want anything happening to Mustang, but giving himself up meant that he wouldn't get to see the man at all. In the midst of his thoughts, he failed to notice the large man coming up behind him._

 _He was surprised when a hand clapped over his mouth and an arm wrapped around him. Something was digging into his stomach. He let out a muffled scream as electricity rushed through his body, causing him to convulse in the man's arms. It felt as if the pain would never end even though it probably only lasted a minute in reality. Next thing he knew, the arms keeping him up were gone. The young alchemist groaned as he crashed to the ground, his body trembling._

" _That wasn't very nice of you to escape, Edward," Corin chuckled. "You are aware that it's night and most of our soldiers are trying to sleep, correct? How inconsiderate of you."_

 _Corin tossed him over his shoulder and made his way through the halls of the military base._

" _I see you found him!"_

 _Ed's eyes widened when he heard Vincent's voice. He wanted to get away. He wanted to find Mustang, but his body wouldn't cooperate. Corin dropped him quite carelessly at Vincent's feet. He tried to push himself up, but his arms were shaking too much. He sighed and closed his eyes, accepting that he wasn't going anywhere._

" _That will be all, Corin. I can handle him from here."_

 _Corin walked away as Vincent turned Ed over on his back. Ed opened his eyes again when he felt something tickling his face. Vincent's face was just inches from his, his long hair brushing against his cheek. He tried scooting away out of reflex, but two firm hands on his shoulders pinned him down._

" _Do you not like your new home, Edward? Is that why you were trying to escape? It's only been a few days since you've arrived. I'd say you've hardly given it a chance."_

 _Ed was silent._

" _That wouldn't make sense. I know you're defiant on principle, but you're also a smart boy. If you were to escape, you wouldn't survive outside. You don't even know the area, so you could easily die in this weather if we didn't find you. You're well aware of that. Maybe you didn't get out of your cell to escape the base at all. Were you trying to find the Colonel?" Vincent continued with a malicious grin._

 _Ed tensed, but remained quiet._

" _Your actions can't go unpunished, but I'll go easier on you if you answer honestly. I'll ask again: were you trying to find the Colonel?"_

 _Hesitantly, Ed nodded. Vincent tilted his head, as if he were studying the young alchemist._

" _That's absolutely adorable! I very much appreciate your honesty, Edward. I suppose I can spare you the pain this time. I could torture your superior as your punishment—"_

" _No!" Ed bellowed, interrupting the Drachman._

 _Vincent pressed a hand firmly against Ed's mouth, not wanting him to wake the other soldiers. His smile grew upon seeing the kid's reaction._

" _From what I've gathered during the time we've spent together, you're willing to go through anything as long as I don't touch Roy Mustang. Is this an accurate conclusion?"_

 _Ed nodded. Normally he wouldn't respond, but he didn't want to risk the deranged Drachman hurting Mustang. A dark chuckle escaped Vincent's lips._

" _How interesting. It seems, in this case, that the son is just as protective of his father as his father is of him. You are one fascinating person, Edward Elric. Remember that answer."_

 _With that, Vincent slipped his arms under Ed's back and legs. Ed didn't have the energy to put up a fight as he was carried down a long hallway. Vincent didn't stop until they reached the room at the very end of the hall. His eyes widened as the door swung open. He realized that Vincent had taken him to his bedroom. The room was fairly plain as there was just a bed and a dresser. What was on the dresser caused dread to nearly consume the young alchemist._

 _A wide variety of knives were displayed along the top of the dresser along with a whip and other torture devices that Ed had never seen. Vincent carried him to the bed and gently set him on it. He could do nothing but watch as the man sauntered over to the dresser and rubbed his chin, contemplating what he was wanting to do._

" _I think I'll start off with something simple," Vincent muttered._

 _He quickly walked back over to the bed and settled himself against the headboard. Ed squirmed weakly as Vincent pulled him onto his lap. His struggles stopped abruptly when Vincent held two objects in front of his face: a knife and a lighter._

" _Roy has a fascination with fire," he said as a small flame flickered from the lighter, "He would have to in order to master flame alchemy. I guess you could say that's something we both have in common. Although, I'm pretty sure we use it for very different purposes."_

 _Vincent held the knife to the flame. Ed knew what he was planning. He resumed his struggling until Vincent's lips were right next to his ear._

" _You're willing to go through anything so I won't hurt the Colonel, remember? Stop resisting me, or I'll do this to him instead."_

 _Ed stilled immediately. It took everything he had not to resist as Vincent lifted his shirt up, exposing his stomach. The bandages that Luka had covered the carving with had been ripped off a long time ago. He flung his head back against Vincent's shoulder and bit his lip to stifle a scream when the hot blade made contact with his skin. He could smell something burning. It took him a minute to realize that it was his flesh. Blood filled his mouth when he bit his lip too hard._

 _It took Ed a while to register that Vincent had taken the hot blade away from his stomach. He only noticed because the man held the knife and lighter in front of his face to heat up the knife yet again, taunting him that his torture wasn't over and there wasn't anything he could do about it if he didn't want Mustang to be hurt. Vincent pressed the knife directly against part of the carving. It was much more difficult for Ed not to scream, and Vincent could tell. He chuckled into Ed's ear._

" _It's in your best interest to remain quiet. If anyone hears you, I'll invite them to join me in the fun. You should know that I'm quite nice compared to some of the other generals here."_

Ed's eyes shot open. The nightmare had felt so real that he almost forgot he wasn't in Drachma anymore. Of course, these nightmares weren't anything new. Unless he was in a drug-induced sleep, he would relive every horrific moment he suffered through as he slept. It had been happening since he had arrived in Drachma, and he knew that it wouldn't stop anytime soon.

He was surprised to find himself enveloped in Mustang's arms, but he certainly wasn't going to complain about it. For the first time in months, he felt safe.

"How are you feeling?"

Ed looked up to see the Colonel looking down on him with a small smile, but he could see the concern in the man's eyes. Mustang helped him into a sitting position against the pillows, careful not to jostle his broken ribs. He removed his arms from around the young alchemist, but he remained sitting on the bed beside him.

"Tired," the young alchemist replied.

Mustang wasn't surprised at all, especially after hearing what Ed's doctor said the previous evening.

"Do you feel like eating anything? I'll go find you something," someone else asked.

Ed's heart nearly jumped out of his chest when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" he shrieked as he flailed to get away from the person touching him.

If it hadn't been for Mustang, Ed would have fallen off of the bed. The young alchemist looked up to see Hughes staring back at him with wide eyes. He was immediately filled with shame. It wasn't a Drachman. It was a friend. He should have known that.

"Hughes…." he whispered, "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have freaked out like that."

"You have absolutely nothing to apologize for Ed," the Lieutenant Colonel said as he and Mustang helped the kid get settled again, "I should have known not to touch you while you weren't looking at me. I should be the one apologizing."

Ed looked Hughes in the eyes.

"You're not mad?" he asked.

"Of course not," Hughes answered with a smile, but it was definitely forced.

His daughter saw Ed and Al as her big brothers. He cared for those two boys deeply and he didn't want anything happening to them. To know that what Ed had been through was bad enough to make him feared being touched made him furious.

"Is there anything I could get you to eat?" he asked.

Ed shook his head. He really didn't feel like eating after that nightmare. All eyes turned to the door when General Raven peeked his head in. He smiled when he saw that Ed was awake.

"Colonel Mustang, could I please speak with you?" the General asked.

Mustang looked to Ed.

"Are you okay if I go?"

Ed nodded, although Mustang could tell the kid didn't want him to. He reluctantly stood up.

"Hughes will stay here with you. I'll be right back. I promise."

That made Ed feel better. Although, he had to fight the urge to reach out for Mustang as the man left, even though he knew he would only be gone for a few minutes. He knew the Colonel was safe when he could see him. For a long time, he hadn't known the fate of his commanding officer. He didn't want to be separated from Mustang for long.

He looked around the room and noticed that Al was missing. Hughes grinned at him, as if he could read his mind.

"In case you're wondering. Al has only been gone for a few minutes. He went to call your automail mechanic about fixing your arm and leg," Hughes updated.

Ed simply nodded, relieved that his little brother would be back with him soon.

"How long had I been asleep?" he asked.

He could see sunlight coming through the window, but he had no idea what time it was.

"It's just now past three o'clock. You slept for over fifteen hours. Al only left a few minutes ago to make that call. Other than that, he stayed with you the entire time. So did Roy." He paused and chuckled. "You should have seen him when a nurse came by and told him that he should return to his room to rest. I'm genuinely surprised the look he gave her didn't incinerate her on the spot. He didn't even say anything, but she wound up leaving scared out of her wits."

The corners of Ed's mouth lifted into a small smile.

"You know, Roy never let you go while you were sleeping, and I don't think I've ever seen him so happy."

Ed's smile grew. It was comforting to know that Mustang had stayed just like he said he would. He sighed contently and looked to the door, waiting for the Colonel and Al to return.

 ***break***

"What is it?" Mustang asked as politely as he could.

He was quite irritated that he had to leave his kid, even if it was just for a few minutes. Although, General Raven was well aware that he wanted to remain by Ed's side as much as he could, so it had to be important.

"I have both good news and bad news," the General began, "Good news is it looks like there aren't anymore Drachmans in Central aside from the ones we captured. We have tightened security around this hospital and Central Command just to be safe, but there shouldn't be another attack."

This did very little to ease Mustang's nerves. Drachmans had been hiding in Amestris for several years. However, he knew Raven was probably right about the Drachmans not attacking Central again. Given how many were captured and the fact that some of the bombs hadn't detonated, it was in their best interest to leave Central alone. Unfortunately, no one had any idea where they were heading or what they were planning next. Raven continued.

"Bad news is Fuhrer Bradley already wants Ed to come to Central Command and give a report of what he saw in Drachma."

"How the hell can he expect Fullmetal to be in any condition to give any sort of report?" Mustang yelled. "He just woke up a few minutes ago! Can Fuhrer Bradley at least wait until his doctor releases him and he has his automail back?"

The Colonel was beyond furious, and Raven knew he would be. The General was quite angry himself.

"I don't know what he's thinking, Colonel. I'm doing whatever I can to allow Major Elric to recover for a bit before he has to meet with Fuhrer Bradley, but I'll only be able to buy him a couple of days at the most. If it weren't for the other generals advising him to remain at Central Command for his own safety, he would be here interrogating your subordinate now. He also wants you to come to the prison this evening to see if you can identify some of the Drachmans we captured."

Mustang nodded. He didn't want to leave Ed, but maybe he could appease the Fuhrer by doing as he requested and he would allow Ed some time to recover physically. Of course, he would have to check to make sure Ed was okay with him being gone for a few hours. If he wasn't, Bradley would just have to wait.

He could tell that the General was bothered by the Fuhrer's requests, and that made him feel slightly better. He was grateful for Raven's support. It was encouraging to be reminded that there was at least one general in Central looking out for him. He snapped out of his thoughts when a doctor nearly ran them over, Luka following closely behind. Mustang ran after the young medic.

"Luka!" he yelled, trying to get his attention.

Luka turned around. Mustang could tell that he didn't want to stop and talk. His instincts as a medic had taken over and he was helping as many patients as he could. The doctors needed all of the help they could get after last night's attack, so they definitely did not protest him wanting to assist them.

"I'm sorry," Mustang said simply.

Luka's mouth set into a grim line. He turned away, but Mustang put a hand on his back.

"If there's anything I could do—" the Colonel continued, but Luka cut him off quickly.

"Don't worry about me. I'll mourn in time, but the living need our full attention right now. Ava would kick my ass if she knew I wasn't helping these people," he said with a smile.

Mustang could see the sadness in Luka's eyes, but he also saw determination. He felt proud of the young man. He had just lost someone he loved dearly, but that didn't stop him from doing what he felt was right. Luka turned on his heel and started off down the hall, but paused for a second.

"Colonel, promise me that you'll do everything you can to stop them before they hurt anyone else."

"Of course, Luka."

With that, the young man ran down the hallway. Mustang watched until he was out of sight. In some ways, Luka reminded him of Ed. They both could be so selfless, putting whatever reservations or feelings they had aside to help others. Smiling, the Colonel made his way back to Ed's room. Even though it had only been a few minutes, he felt that he had been away from his son for far too long.

That was going to make leaving to visit Central's prison much more difficult.

He opened the door and found Hughes sitting in a chair next to Ed's bed. He saw Havoc, Breda, and Al in the room as well. Ed seemed to be getting comfortable with more people being around him. Given the incident with Hughes earlier, that was a surprise. However, he was not going to complain. The more comfortable Ed was being around them, the more likely he would open up to them when he needed to.

He had refused to open up to anyone right after he was found in Kanon, and that nearly destroyed him from the inside out. He hoped Ed wouldn't do the same thing, but that wasn't exactly up to him. Ed was stubborn and usually kept anything personal to himself. Although, he now knew that Mustang and his team were his family. He was aware that he could tell them anything. It might be a while before Ed would be ready, but Mustang had a feeling that he would talk to them eventually. Whenever time that might be, they all would be there for him.

Ed perked up when he entered the room. The Colonel slowly made his way over to the bed, trying to put off the inevitable conversation of him possibly leaving for a few hours. His displeasure must have been quite obvious because Ed chuckled.

"Havoc and Breda told me about you being asked to go to the prison, Colonel."

Mustang was at Ed's side, looking him in the eyes.

"Are you okay if I go? I might be gone for a few hours. If you don't want me to, I won't."

Ed shook his head.

"You need to," he said, "I'll be perfectly fine."

"There's no need to worry, Boss," Havoc piped up, "Al and I will be here with him while you're gone. Breda and the Lieutenant Colonel will be going to the prison with you and General Raven. Hawkeye is with Isabel now, but she will meet you all there."

The Colonel sighed. He still didn't like having to leave. However, the sooner he got this over with, the sooner he could come back to Ed.

"Are you absolutely sure?"

Ed nodded. Mustang smiled at him and ruffled his hair.

"I'll be back soon," he vowed.

Breda, Hughes, and Mustang all left the room. Ed hated seeing the Colonel leave. While he knew Mustang had to go, he didn't like it at all. There was always the chance that he might not return.

"Do you really think he'll come back?" Ed asked without even realizing he had voiced his thoughts aloud.

Havoc looked to Al. Even though the younger Elric didn't really have any facial expressions, he knew the boy had to be concerned for his brother.

"Of course he will, Chief. Has the Colonel ever abandoned you?" the Second Lieutenant asked in a joking manner.

Ed's eyes darkened considerably, and this did not go unnoticed by his two companions in the room.

 ***** _ **flashback***_

 _Ed laid on his side, clutching his head. It looked like his cell was spinning, and he wanted it to stop. He glared at the empty plate and glass left in his cell. Corin had brought him food and water and told him he would force it down his throat if it wasn't gone within the hour. He didn't remember the last time he had eaten and he really didn't want to, but the idea of Corin using force didn't exactly appeal to him either._

 _He reluctantly ate the little food that was given to him. He actually drank the water quite fast because he desperately needed it. It didn't take him long to realize he had been drugged. The dizziness and nausea made it pretty obvious. His fingers gripped his head tighter, as if that would make the room stop spinning. Of course, it didn't. His vision was starting to blur. The markings in his cell were growing fuzzy and looked like they were melding together. He clenched his eyes shut, but opened them again when he heard the door open._

 _Someone came into his cell, but the person looked like a blob. Despite the blurriness, he could recognize the blue of the Amestrian military uniform. As the person crept closer, he could tell that whoever it was had black hair. The person's face was blurry, but if he had to guess, he would say that Mustang was in the cell with him._

 _He thought his guess was confirmed when the man sat down next to him and caressed his face gently._

" _C-Colonel?" he asked._

 _He was not met with an answer. Instead, he felt a gentle kiss on his forehead. He could see the blur getting up and heading toward the door._

" _Please don't leave me!" he begged. "At least promise me you'll come back, Colonel!"_

 _Again, he was denied any sign that the man acknowledged him. Just before the door slammed shut, he heard the faint sound of laughter coming from the other side._

" _Please come back," Ed whispered to himself._

 _Colonel Roy Mustang never came back._

 _ ***end flashback***_

It was true. His commanding officer never came back for him then, but he had never been there in the first place. Ed hated that memory. It reminded him that he believed Mustang had abandoned him. He should have known better.

"You're right, Havoc. He has never abandoned me and he won't start now," Ed answered with a slight smile.

 ***break***

Mustang strode through Central's prison with an aura of confidence that actually surprised him. Several people clad in black occupied the cells. So far, he had only recognized one Drachman. Corin was in one of the first cells he checked. He couldn't help but smirk when he saw that the man's shoulder was wrapped up from where Hawkeye had shot him. It looked as if he hadn't been given anything to relieve his pain, for which he was extremely glad. After watching him break four of Ed's ribs in Kanon, seeing him in pain was satisfying to say the least.

Corin would be one of the next Drachmans to be brought out for interrogation. Fuhrer Bradley figured that those who had interacted with him and Ed the most were probably in some position of power within the Drachman military and would have the most information they needed. After all, their enemy's military wouldn't send just anyone to "recruit" two of the strongest state alchemists.

General Raven guided him to the last of the cells, Hughes, Hawkeye, and Breda following right behind him. Mustang froze mid-stride when an infuriating laughter assaulted his ears.

"I was hoping I would get to see you soon, Colonel Mustang!"

The Colonel slowly turned his head to the cell on his left. His heart nearly stopped beating when he saw Vincent standing at the bars of the cell, the clown-like smile that made his skin crawl plastered on his face.

"Vincent…." Mustang muttered.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hawkeye, Hughes, and Breda's eyes widen. They were already shocked by the man's resemblance to Kimblee, but now they knew that this was the man that caused Ed to suffer so horrifically.

"How's my Edward doing? I heard that you got him back, unfortunately."

Before Mustang even realized what he was doing, he barged up to the cell and grabbed the Drachman by the shirt, slamming him into the bars.

"He's not yours!" Mustang growled.

Breda and Hughes had to wrestle the Colonel away from the bars. If it wasn't for the fact that Mustang might actually kill the man, they would have left him there. However, Vincent might have information that could benefit them.

More laughter came from within the deranged Drachman. It was disturbing to see how much enjoyment he got from getting a rise out of Mustang. When the Colonel finally calmed himself down, he spoke again.

"Edward and I have grown so close over the past four months. I have to say, Colonel, I had a lot of fun with that boy. For the longest time, I had him convinced that you were in our base. All I had to do was mention the mere idea of hurting you and he would let me do anything to him to spare you the pain. His devotion to you was quite touching to witness. It was a shame when he finally found out that you had been in Amestris the whole time."

Mustang felt physically sick. There wasn't anything that he couldn't imagine Vincent doing to Edward. What made him feel worse was that he knew the Drachmans had concocted all sorts of drugs. Ed probably wouldn't have strictly taken Vincent's word for it, but he might have actually hallucinated him being there. The kid thought that he needed to protect him….

His legs felt weak. He was surprised that he hadn't collapsed to his knees. To his annoyance, Vincent wasn't finished.

"I guess that's not what you all are wanting to hear," he started, "I'm guessing you all are here because there are things that you need to know—"

"How did you get him to cooperate?" Mustang asked, cutting him off.

Vincent chuckled in absolute delight. It was almost he thought he was in control, just like in Kanon.

"I have a few conditions that must be met if you want me to answer any of your questions. I won't tell you everything, of course, but I do have information that I can share with you that you're dying to know."

"You're not in any position to be making demands," General Raven snarled.

"I know things that your Fuhrer will probably be particularly interested in, so I'm sure my conditions can be met. They aren't even unreasonable." He paused to make sure Mustang was looking him in the eyes. "I want the Colonel and Major Elric to conduct my interrogation."

 **And there's chapter four! I hope you guys enjoyed seeing a little bit of what happened to Ed while he was in Drachma. There's more of that to come, I promise. Anyways, sorry again for the later update. I hope to post again next weekend! Until next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm baaaack! I do apologize for not updating earlier. Life got a little crazy and I wanted to make sure this chapter came out as good as I wanted it to. It's really long, so I hope that makes up for it! There will definitely be some fluff in the beginning that I hope you enjoy!**

 **Warning: The end of the chapter gets kind of gory and dark. Just a heads up.**

 **I still do not own Fullmetal Alchemist….**

Hughes practically dragged Mustang away before Vincent or anyone else had a chance to say anything. He knew General Raven would get something figured out. Right now, he had to calm down his best friend. He hadn't seen the Colonel this mad since they all had conspired to drug him.

"He can't possibly be serious! Who does he think he is to have the audacity to make such a demand?" Mustang roared.

"Roy, you need to calm down. Getting worked up isn't going to do anything to better the situation. Once word of this gets to Fuhrer Bradley, there isn't anything that you can do regarding his decision."

"There has to be! There is no way I'm letting that bastard anywhere near my kid!"

Hughes had to stop a grin from forming on his face. This was a serious situation and Mustang was genuinely upset, but it made him happy to see the Colonel so naturally claiming Ed as his son. He put his hands on his best friend's shoulders.

"Listen," the Lieutenant Colonel said, "I know you're angry. You have every right to be. You saw first hand what that monster did to Edward. I don't want him to have to see Vincent ever again. However, I'm just bringing you back to reality. If the Fuhrer orders you two to conduct the interrogation, then that's what will happen."

Mustang let out a frustrated sigh.

"I know you're right, Maes. It's just...it's not fair. As childish as that sounds, it's really not. Ed and Al have already suffered through enough before Ed ever joined the military. Now he was held prisoner in Drachma for four months and was forced to do who knows what. Al had to be separated from his brother for all that time, not knowing what was happening to him. Worst of all, the man that did despicable things to Ed is practically forcing him to face him again, knowing exactly what that will do to him psychologically. It's like those two can never catch a break."

"I know it's not fair. I know you love those two boys with everything you have and you wish for nothing but the best for them, but this is what happens in war. Everything they've gone through is very unfortunate, but they have a family now. All we can really do at this point is be there for the Elrics as much as we can and prepare for whatever is coming next."

Mustang nodded. His best friend was right as usual. The two made to join the others when the Colonel stopped, remembering something.

"Before we go back to the hospital, can we stop by my dorm? I need to pick up something for Ed."

 ***break***

"Hey, Chief, I'm going to get you something to eat. You really need to get something on your stomach. I'll be back."

Havoc winked at Alphonse as he left the room. Al probably would never admit it to anyone, but he was relieved. He hadn't gotten a chance to be alone with his brother yet. However, he couldn't get himself to ask any of their friends to leave. That would have been rude of him, well that's what he thought at least. Everyone else would have understood completely, but he still couldn't do it. He was pretty sure Havoc got the hint and that was why he left the two, and the younger Elric was beyond grateful for that.

"Hey, Al?"

The suit of armor perked up and looked at his older brother, surprised that he had said something already.

"Were you taken care of these past four months?" Ed asked.

Al sighed. If he could have smiled, he would have. Of course that would be what Ed was worried about most right now.

"I was, Ed. Fuhrer Bradley wanted the Colonel to live in the dorms, so Lieutenant Hawkeye moved in too. She let me stay at her apartment while I was in Central. I wasn't lonely, if that's something you were concerned about. I visited the Colonel a few times a week. We would actually have fun discussing alchemy. He knows a lot that we don't and there's so much we can learn from him."

Ed grinned.

"I guess he's not useless after all," he joked.

There was a comfortable silence between the two brothers. This wasn't unusual. This actually happened quite often while they were travelling all over Amestris on missions. Ed found it to be relaxing and appreciated these moments when he could just enjoy Al's presence. Sometimes, he wished moments like these would never end.

Al finally spoke up.

"You know you can tell me anything, brother."

Ed should have known that his younger brother would say something like that. Al had always thought he should talk more about how he's really doing and feeling. He used to find it annoying, but after being away from his brother for so long, he had come to miss it and really appreciated it. However, that didn't mean he was going to tell Al everything.

"I do know that, Al. I very much appreciate that, too, but there are things that I will probably never tell you. I will admit that the past four months have been a living hell for me, but there are things that I don't even want you to imagine."

Horrible things had been done to him, and he had done some horrible things. Al was still so innocent. He couldn't ruin that for him.

"I know about everything that happened in Kanon," Al admitted.

Anger flared through him for a brief moment. The only way Al could know anything about that is if Mustang told him.

"I know what you're thinking," Al said before he even had a chance to say anything, "The Colonel knew that you wouldn't want me to know and he never meant for me to find out. He really struggled at first when he came back from Kanon. He wasn't sleeping because he would have nightmares about you whenever he did. The team drugged him to get him to finally sleep and Lieutenant Colonel Hughes pushed him into talking about it after he woke up. He sort of snapped when that happened. He didn't know I was just outside of his door when he told Hughes everything."

Ed tensed.

"Does everyone on the team know?"

Hesitantly, Al nodded. Ed sighed and sank back into the pillows. After hearing the story from Al, he wasn't angry at Mustang. Knowing the man as long as he had now, he would have a really rough time accepting that his subordinate was still missing while he was safe. He also knew how pushy Hughes could be. He wasn't surprised at all that the Colonel eventually snapped. If Ed had been in the same position, he probably would have done the same thing. However, he didn't like the idea of the team knowing what happened to him in Kanon. Hell, he didn't even like the fact that Mustang saw it. He didn't want anyone to pity him.

"No one is going to pity you, Ed. Everyone knows you hate that, but we want to and will be there for you. You've gone through something extremely traumatic, and I just want you to know that you won't be seen as weak in anyone's eyes if you reach out to us for help."

Ed smiled as Al wrapped an arm carefully around his shoulders as not to agitate any of his injuries. He swore that Elric brother telepathy was real because that was something he needed to hear. He knew it would be awhile before he was ever ready to talk about anything, and there were things he would prefer not to tell anyone at all, but he knew he had friends and a family to go to when he was ready.

"Is Winry coming here?" he asked, remembering why Al had been gone when he first woke up.

Al nodded.

"Yes, she and Granny are taking the first train they can to Central and should be here tomorrow afternoon. Granny decided she should come after Lieutenant Hawkeye described whatever was attached to your automail. She and Winry are going to fix it up for you." Al paused. "What was that on your automail? Havoc mentioned something about finding wires attached to your head too."

Ed shook his head and shuddered.

"Honestly, I don't know what it was or how it operated. All I know is that it made me do things that I really didn't want to do."

Al didn't bother asking any other questions. Both brothers perked up when the door opened and Havoc and the Colonel walked in. The Second Lieutenant placed a glass of water and bowl of soup next to Ed's bed, smiling at the two boys. He left to meet up with the rest of the team. Breda and Hawkeye were going to fill them in as to what occurred at the prison and what they could expect in the next couple of days.

Ed looked at the bowl in distaste. He really didn't feel like eating. However, he knew that it would continue to make everyone worry about him even more if he didn't. He ate a few spoonfuls of soup to appease his brother and the Colonel, although it was with much difficulty. Having the fingers broken on his only hand made the simple task harder than it should have been. He refused when his brother offered to hold the spoon for him. That would have been downright humiliating in his mind. After eating what he had deemed to be enough, he leaned back against the pillows and rubbed his eyes.

"Do you want to go to sleep?" Mustang asked with a smile, happy that he had seen the boy eat now.

Ed nodded and yawned. The Colonel quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bottle. He popped a pill out and handed it to Ed. The young alchemist raised an eyebrow at him in confusion.

"Those induce a dreamless sleep," the Colonel answered the unasked question, "I've been taking them for a long time now. They really help and you need to rest."

He reached for the glass of water and held it up to Ed's lips after he put the pill in his mouth. Much to his surprise, the stubborn teen didn't protest. Honestly, he was probably too exhausted to. Within seconds, he was fast asleep. Mustang's smile grew since he knew Ed would actually be able to sleep peacefully. If he had been having nightmares about Kanon, he knew for a fact that Ed was suffering through the same problem, but to a much greater extent than he did.

The smile faded when he remembered what the poor teen would be facing in a few days. He ran a hand through his hair, the mere thought of what was coming was stressful and overwhelming. He didn't even want to imagine how Ed would react to it.

"Something's bothering you, Colonel," Al observed. "What is it?"

"When I went to go visit the prison, I saw Vincent there," he began, noticing the suit of armor tensing at the mention of his brother's abuser, "He wants Ed and I to conduct his interrogation and he would answer some of the military's questions in return. I don't want that. No one does, but word of this request got to the Fuhrer. He's already been on General Raven's ass about your brother's recovery. He originally wanted Ed to give him and the other generals a report on what happened in Drachma. Upon hearing Vincent's request, he's ordered General Raven, myself, and Ed to conduct the interrogation. However, he and some of the other generals will be there, so Ed won't have to give him a report."

Al was silent for a few moments.

"If there's any upside at all to this situation, it's that Ed probably won't have to talk about anything he doesn't want to just yet. Vincent probably knows way more than Ed, so answering your questions will probably be enough. But…." Al's voice shook slightly, "W-Why does he want Ed there? Hasn't he done enough already? Why would Fuhrer Bradley allow this?"

"I don't know, Alphonse," the Colonel answered as he looked at Ed's peaceful face, "Vincent is one sick and twisted man. I don't think anyone will ever understand why he wants what he does. As for Fuhrer Bradley, I think he's desperate for any information he can get. He doesn't want to admit that he wasn't as prepared for conflict with Drachma as he should have been. He's probably willing to do anything to get us ahead in this war, even if it's at the expense of his own men. He's not even giving Ed time to properly recover. As soon as he has his automail attached, he wants Ed back at Central Command."

They both watched Ed as he slept, unaware of what he was going to have to face so soon. The Colonel glanced to the suit of armor.

"Has he told you anything yet?" he asked, although he already had a feeling of what the answer would be.

Al shook his head.

"Not really. I asked him about the device on his automail. He said that he didn't how it worked, but he said that it made him do things. Aside from that, he hasn't really said anything. I think he will when he's ready, though…." Al's voice trailed off.

"Is something wrong?"

"It's just he seemed so calm when I talked to him. After his freak out with Lieutenant Colonel Hughes earlier, he's acted as if everything's fine. I know my brother is strong. He always has been and always will be, but he was held captive for four months. He seems like he's handling it well, but that's what scares me. I'm worried that he's going snap one day."

The Colonel nodded in understanding. He was worried sick for Ed, for both of his boys actually. He didn't like the idea of war being on the horizon. It seemed that those who were innocent always suffered the worst. Ed was a living example of that right now. He was probably refusing to think about the horrors he faced, as if they didn't really happen if he didn't think or talk about them. He was brought out of his thoughts when Al spoke up again.

"You should probably get some sleep, Colonel. If you want, you can share the bed with Ed again. He won't mind at all. I know he feels better when you're here."

Mustang smiled at the younger Elric. He settled down next to Ed and put his arm around the teen. Ed unconsciously snuggled closer to Mustang's chest, slightly smiling in his sleep. The Colonel soon drifted off as well. Al couldn't help but be happy as he watched the two state alchemists sleep. He was beyond worried for his brother, but with people like Mustang and the rest of his team there for him, he knew his brother would eventually be fine.

 ***two days later***

"Thanks, Al," Ed said as he took the bowl his brother held out to him with his automail hand.

He was relieved to have his automail back. Reattaching it was more painful than usual due to his other injuries, but he didn't care. He could at least walk now. He wasn't reliant on anyone else anymore.

He thought back to the previous day. Winry had been an emotional wreck when she first saw him. All the younger Elric had told her and Granny was that he had been captured on a mission. That wasn't a lie by any means, but he had left out the details about the impending war with Drachma and the fact that Ed had been tortured. Word of the attack on Central hadn't even made it to the smaller towns yet. Upon seeing the damage in Central, Granny thought it was best for Winry to return to Resembool as soon as possible, and Ed agreed completely despite Winry's multiple protests. While the likelihood of another attack on Central was low, Resembool would be the safest place for her right now. The Drachmans wouldn't have anything to gain by attacking a small town.

As much as he wanted Winry to stay, he practically begged her to leave with Granny after they fixed up his automail. She did wind up leaving, but it was completely reluctant. He was pretty sure the only reason she left was because he would be at peace knowing that she was safe.

Ed clapped his hands and placed them on the sides of the bowl as he dipped the tip of his braid into it. He sighed in satisfaction as his hair returned to its normal blonde color. He absolutely hated having his hair dyed black. Mustang stared at him in amazement. He had never considered using alchemy for such a thing. A small grin formed on his face. Of course his kids would have thought of something like that long before he would. They were absolutely brilliant after all.

"Why was your hair dyed anyway?" he asked.

"Vincent thought it would be nice if I looked more like him. He said that I looked as if I could have been his child after he dyed it."

Mustang stiffened. He should have known that bastard would do something like that. It was as if his motivation for everything he did was to get under his skin. In reality, it probably was. He had proven in Kanon that he did not like the Colonel at all and he was all too aware of how much the Colonel cared for the Elric brothers. This only fueled his anger, and this definitely wasn't a good time for that.

Despite the various protests from Dr. Menton, Ed was being released from the hospital today and was going straight to the interrogation. If it had been up to the doctor, Ed would have remained in the hospital for a few weeks. However, he couldn't stop an order issued by Fuhrer Bradley. Aside from that, he really didn't want military personnel barging through the hospital to ensure these orders were carried out. Ed was required to return to the dorms after the interrogation, much to his dismay. The Fuhrer thought that would be a safer place for him than the hospital. Dr. Menton was nice enough to take the time to write out a list of everything that Mustang needed to do to continue taking care of Ed's injuries

Al handed him his black leather pants, tank top, jacket, and red coat. Ed's eyes lit up when he saw his usual clothing.

"We'll be just outside the room. Come out whenever you're ready," Mustang said as he and Al left to give Ed some privacy.

Ed nodded and he quickly changed. He had really come to miss his usual clothing. He hadn't expected to miss something that seemed so trivial, but it gave him a sense of normalcy. Taking a deep breath, he headed for the door. He wasn't particularly looking forward to this interrogation, but it would have to be done eventually. He would much rather it be over sooner rather than later. After all, how bad could it be?

Mustang gave him a reassuring smile as they made their way out of the hospital. Breda, Falman, and Hughes were all waiting for them outside. Al gave his brother a quick hug before he left with Falman, who was taking him back to the dorms. Since Al wasn't technically in the military, he couldn't be present at the interrogation. He wanted so desperately to be there for his brother, but there wasn't anything he could really do except wait until it was over.

Silence filled the car as Ed, Mustang, Hughes, and Breda drove to Central Command. The Fuhrer wasn't allowed to leave command, so Vincent was being escorted there since this was such an important interrogation that he wanted to be present for. All of them were concerned for the teen, especially the Colonel. Ed hadn't reacted in the manner they had expected when he was notified of Vincent's request. He seemed to be completely fine with the idea, which worried them greatly. He was a bit too calm about the whole situation.

Mustang couldn't even begin to imagine what Ed had suffered through. No one could. What concerned him the most was the idea that the young alchemist could have possibly locked away the worst memories in the back of his mind. He probably had and that was the reason he had been acting like everything was normal over the past couple of days. When anyone asked him how he was doing, he would just say he was fine and go on as if nothing was out of the ordinary. The Colonel was concerned about how Ed would react once he saw Vincent and what would happen if the Drachman mentioned anything that Ed was determined to keep buried for the time being.

Everyone reluctantly got out of the car as they arrived at Central Command. Ed was practically running on autopilot. He wasn't thinking about where he was going. He just kept walking. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he was afraid if he truly thought about what he was about to face, he might chicken out and try to run away. What he was failing to realize was that no one would have judged him in any way if he had. The four made their way through the halls with the same silence that had been present in the car. Just as they started down the hall that led to the room where the interrogation was being held, Mustang pulled Ed aside.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" he asked in a low voice. "It's perfectly okay if you're not. No one will think any less of you. I'll come up with a way to handle the Fuhrer."

Ed let a small grin form on his face.

"I'm sure, Colonel. This is war, after all. We all have to do things we don't want to do. Besides, I know Vincent has a lot of useful information. If this is what it takes to get him to spill, then so be it."

Pride surged through Mustang's veins. The amount of maturity Ed had still continued to amaze him. He wrapped a comforting arm around Ed's shoulders as they walked down the hallway. They walked through the doorway to the first of two rooms. There was a one-way mirror on the wall between them. In the other room, Ed could see a table with three chairs on one side and only one on the other. There were various devices on the table that Ed recognized from his time in Drachma. General Raven was in the interrogation room already along with Fuery, who was setting up sound equipment. He could also see a door on the other side of the second room. He assumed that's where Vincent would be brought in.

"Fuhrer Bradley and the other generals will remain out here while the interrogation is conducted," Hughes explained, "Fuery is making sure they'll be able to hear as well as see everything."

"Havoc and Hawkeye volunteered to escort Vincent here," Breda chimed in, "Falman will be here as soon as he drops Al off. We'll all be waiting out here too."

There was an unspoken agreement that the entire team would be present since Al couldn't be. Ed needed support and each one of them was beyond willing to provide it. Fuery opened the door and joined them while the General remained. Dread consumed both Mustang and Ed as they waited for the Fuhrer and his generals to arrive as well as Vincent.

The tension in the atmosphere was almost suffocating. It wasn't broken in the slightest when Havoc and Hawkeye walked through the other room with Vincent. If anything, the tension grew. What surprised them was the blood pouring out of Vincent's nose. The two quickly sat him down and secured him to the chair.

"What happened?" they could hear Raven ask.

"He tripped," Hawkeye said nonchalantly.

"You punched me and broke my nose, you bitch!" Vincent roared.

"Same difference," she retorted as she and Havoc left to join everyone else.

Mustang smirked. The man deserved way worse than that, but it still brought him joy to see him in any sort of pain. The fact that his First Lieutenant caused it was definitely a bonus. Seconds after Vincent arrived, Fuhrer Bradley and the generals did as well.

"It's good to see you're out of the hospital, Major Elric!" Bradley said with a false sense of joy and politeness.

Unconsciously, Mustang moved himself between his kid and the Fuhrer.

"Now that you're here, can we start the interrogation, sir?" he asked coldly.

Bradley's eyes narrowed at the Colonel before him. He motioned toward the door, indicating that they could enter and get started. Mustang gripped Ed's shoulders as they approached the door. He could feel the tension in the teen's shoulders.

"Everything will be okay," he whispered in Ed's ear as he opened the door.

He hoped that wouldn't be a lie.

Despite having a broken nose, Vincent's face lit up as Ed and the Colonel entered the room. His expression of anger was soon replaced with one of demonic glee. Ed visibly paled.

"Edward! I'm so happy to see you again! Aw, I see you decided to change your hair back. Did you not like it?"

"Shut up!" the Colonel growled. "You will not address him at all during this interrogation. He's here. That's what you wanted. Now answer our questions."

"Fire away," Vincent said as he smirked and leaned back slightly in his chair, almost as if he were trying to make himself comfortable.

Mustang glanced at the General.

"State your name and any rank you have," Raven commanded.

"Vincent Antonov, Brigadier General."

Mustang tuned out the routine questions that they were required to ask at the start of every interrogation, settling for glaring at the Drachman before him. The man that he wanted to set aflame for everything he had done to his kid.

"Colonel, I believe you had a few questions of your own," the General stated, bringing Mustang out of his thoughts.

"Just one really: how the hell did you get him to cooperate? I know for a fact that he didn't do so willingly."

Vincent chuckled.

"You're definitely right on that, Colonel. You've got one stubborn boy. However, advances in Drachman technology helped us with that. Tell me, how far have your researchers come along in terms of human-to-human brain signaling?"

The three Amestrians looked completely confused, even Ed. He had no idea how that device on his automail worked. He would be lying if he said he wasn't at all curious about it. Vincent laughed louder when he saw their expressions.

"I take it that you don't have any clue of what I'm talking about," he said as he glanced pointedly at one of the devices on the table.

It looked like a headband with wires attached to it that connected to a small metallic box with a variety of buttons on it.

"That's what you all found on me when I was first captured. The headband sends signals from my brain to that transmitter," he explained as he nodded at the metal device, "Young Edward had a receiver connected to his automail that would receive these signals. The wires that were attached to his temples were designed to send magnetic stimulation signals to his brain. This allowed us to control his motions through thought alone.

"We first started making advances human-to-human brain signaling just over a year ago. After a numerous amount of experiments, we learned that a majority of people still had some sort of control of their bodies and could resist the signals we sent. However, we also discovered that attaching the receiver to someone with automail strengthens the signals being transmitted due to the fact that automail connects to the person's nerves, making it nearly impossible to resist whatever motions we think of. That's why we left you behind in Kanon, Colonel. We have advanced so much in this concept that we were able to make Edward do literally anything we wanted just by merely thinking of the movements he needed to make to do it."

Mustang glanced behind him at the mirror. He didn't have to see it to know that every one of the generals had wide eyes. Even Fuhrer Bradley had to be surprised. No one even had an idea of how far the Drachmans had come in terms of technology. Well, it was either the Drachmans were ahead, or the Amestrians were terribly behind.

"Well," General Raven started to move the interrogation along, "We had some men sent to Drachma that we lost contact with about a month ago: Kevin Simmons, Jared Matthis, Benjamin Lewis, and Samuel Bowlin. Can you tell us what happened to them?"

Mustang noticed that Ed went completely still, his skin turning a sickly gray color. Vincent's smile grew almost clown-like.

"I can tell you exactly what happened to them, but are you sure you don't want to ask Edward?"

"Just answer the question!" Mustang barked.

"All right," Vincent drawled, "If you really want to know…."

 _ ***flashback***_

 _Ed struggled against the barbed wire that bound his wrists. He could feel his flesh arm become slippery with blood, but he didn't care. He remembered it bitterly how Vincent had wrapped his wrists, upper arms, and ankles in barbed wire, saying how he enjoyed the fact that he could still cause him pain even though he wasn't there. The young alchemist was fairly sure he also did it to discourage any attempts to go find the Colonel. Every time he moved, the wire cut into his flesh._

 _He heard a couple of passing soldiers mention something about capturing four Amestrian spies. He had lost hope of ever seeing the Colonel and making sure he was okay, but that hope had been restored. Maybe they had seen Mustang. Maybe they were even with him. After nearly shredding the skin on his flesh wrist, he freed himself from the bonds on his wrists. It didn't take him long after that to free himself from the rest of his torturous bonds._

 _He quietly snuck out Vincent's room. Careful to avoid any Drachmans, he made his way through the base toward the prison cells. It didn't take him long to find his fellow Amestrians. They all looked absolutely horrified by his condition._

" _Major Elric?" one of them asked, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing._

 _Ed didn't blame him. He probably looked like a bruised and bloody mess. However, that didn't matter. He needed to find Mustang._

" _Yeah, it's me. Have any of you seen Colonel Mustang?"_

 _All four of them looked at each other, completely confused. Ed fiddled with the lock. He was afraid alchemy would bring unwanted attention in their direction, otherwise he would have used alchemy to break it. He needed to be as inconspicuous if he wanted to make sure they escaped._

" _You don't know?" one of them spoke up, "He was left behind in Kanon. He's in Central and has been ever since you've been missing. What did they tell you?"_

 _Realization hit Ed like a ton of bricks. Mustang had never been in Drachma at all. He had been safe. The entire time._

" _He's safe?" he whispered._

 _All four of them nodded. Ed was so overjoyed that he failed to notice the Drachmans approaching behind him._

" _Let him go!" someone yelled as Ed was grabbed from behind and carried away from the bars of the cell._

" _Now, Edward, I can't have you just letting our guests leave," Vincent chided._

 _Much to everyone's surprise, Ed started laughing. It sounded almost mad, which scared the four Amestrians greatly._

" _He was never here. He's safe! You have nothing to hold over me anymore, Vincent!" Ed managed to get out between fits of insane laughter._

" _What's going on?" a voice asked that made Ed cease his laughter almost immediately._

" _Well it seems, Raulf," Vincent began, his usual smile absent, "Edward has discovered that Colonel Mustang isn't with us after all."_

 _Vincent's superior sighed._

" _That's a shame. I knew you were having such fun with him. I guess you'll have to find another way to entertain yourself with him."_

 _Vincent's lips curled up into a cruel smile._

" _I know you have something in mind."_

 _Raulf nodded, his face mirroring Vincent's. He motioned for Vincent to follow him and yelled something else in Drachman. Vincent yanked on the young alchemist's hair and dragged him along. Ed looked behind him and saw guards cuffing the Amestrian spies and beginning to take them out of the cell. He was about to clap when Vincent spoke up._

" _Try anything and I'll have my men blow their brains out," he said nonchalantly, but there was no missing the threat in there despite his tone._

 _Ed found himself in the cell he first woke up in, the familiar array making it quite memorable. More guards followed, then the four Amestrians were escorted in right behind them._

" _Hold him down," Raulf ordered. "I believe it's time we finally test out our newest human weapon."_

 _Ed struggled the minute those words were out of Raulf's mouth, but it did him little good. Several guards were on him in an instant, holding each of his limbs down. He saw Vincent heading toward his automail arm. Within seconds, he was fiddling with the wires and was attaching something to it. He jerked as pain shot through his nerves._

" _What the hell are you doing?" Ed demanded as Vincent started attaching more wires to his temples._

 _Raulf handed Vincent what looked to be a headband connected to a small metallic device. Once the headband was on and his torturer had pressed a few buttons on the device, Ed found himself unable to move._

" _What the…." he muttered._

" _It seems to be working so far," Vincent observed, "Edward, I'm afraid I can't let you get away with trying to set our other prisoners free, especially when they have information that could lead your military to finding you. Since they have already given us the information we desire, it is time for us to dispose of them. You're going to help us do just that."_

 _Ed's eyes widened. He willed himself to move, but his body wouldn't cooperate. He finally found himself getting up, but it was as if something was controlling him. He couldn't do anything that he willed himself to do. It was as if he was a puppet. He could move, but someone else was pulling the strings. Vincent held out a pistol to him, and he found himself taking a hold of it._

" _No!" he yelled in frustration as he couldn't get himself to let go of the gun._

 _He met the wide eyes of one of the Amestrians. The man shook his head in denial as two guards held him in place._

" _Please don't!" he begged._

 _Ed had never felt pure terror until the moment he raised the gun and aimed it between the man's eyes. Before the young alchemist could even mutter some sort of apology, something made him pull the trigger. Ed nearly vomited at the sight of the man's brains splattered all over the wall behind him. The only thing that stopped him was the horror of realizing that he had just broken the promise he made to himself when he joined the military: he would never take another human's life._

 _He let out a sound that could be described as both a sob and a scream. Tears rapidly formed in his eyes, but he couldn't wipe them away. He couldn't even move when Vincent's arms encircled his waist._

" _Why are you crying, Edward? Wasn't that fun?" he asked as he wiped Ed's tears away for him._

" _I'm disappointed," Raulf spoke up, "I thought you had more creativity than that, Vincent. Do you want me to show you how it's really done?"_

 _Vincent nodded enthusiastically. He pulled Ed even closer to him, if that was possible, to keep him still as Raulf removed the headband and placed it on himself, taking the transmitter as well._

 _Ed found his grip on the gun loosening as Raulf allowed Vincent to take it away from the teen. Ed's palms met and his usual blade formed with his automail. Against his will, he approached one of the other Amestrians. A choked sob came out of young alchemist._

" _Kid, this isn't your fault. I don't know how, but they're controlling you. Don't forget that. I know you don't want to do this," the man tried to assure him._

 _He was obviously much stronger than the previous spy. Ed didn't have trouble guessing which one of the four had caved._

" _Unlock his wrists and hold him down," Raulf ordered._

 _The Drachmans did as they were told and were stretching the young man's arms and legs out. Ed knelt next to him._

" _I'm so sorry," he whispered._

 _The next thing Ed registered was his blade coming down, severing the man's arm. The pained scream rang throughout the cell. That scream continued as Ed was forced to scoot down to his leg, hacking that off as well. Ed's cries mixed with the screams as Raulf forced him to brutally dismember the rest his fellow Amestrian._

" _Please stop it!" Ed wailed as he shut his eyes, unable to watch the man as he bled out._

 _The chorus of Raulf and Vincent's laughter was loud enough to drown out his begging. Raulf kept Ed's automail formed in the blade as he guided the kid toward the third Amestrian. He took Ed's flesh hand in his own. He gently caressed it._

" _I think your flesh can be just as useful as your automail," he commented._

 _The tears only streamed faster down Ed's face._

" _I'm begging you, stop this! Please!" he roared so loud it actually hurt his vocal chords._

" _Hold his head still," he heard Raulf command._

 _Ed had never had an out-of-body experience until his flesh fingers started digging into the man's eye socket. He saw the man's mouth open and heard him scream in pure agony. It was as if he was seeing everything he was doing, but not registering that it was him actually gouging the man's eye out. Just like the first, the second eye was soon ripped out of its socket._

 _Ed's begging had stopped. His screams had stopped. There was nothing he could say to get Vincent or his superior to stop this. He unwillingly cut the eyeless man's shirt, exposing his bare skin. He felt the warm stickiness of blood spray on his face when he sliced the man's stomach open. He realized that he had control over himself again when he vomited as the man's intestines spilled out of his stomach._

" _I think that's enough," Raulf said as he took off the headband, "What do you think, Edward? Should we let this last one free so he can relay a message to your military? I don't think they'll come for you once they hear this story."_

 _Ed couldn't even answer as he was on his hands and knees, continuing to vomit. He collapsed on his back, staring at his blood-covered hands._

" _What have I done? What have I done?" he muttered to himself over and over._

 _Vincent strode up to the only living spy._

" _I think I have a better idea, if you will allow me the chance to redeem myself."_

 _Raulf nodded at his subordinate, curiosity displaying across his features. Vincent ordered his own men to hang the last Amestrian in the shackles by his ankles. The man struggled, but it was useless against the numerous Drachmans. Vincent dragged Ed over underneath the man as soon as he was high enough above the ground. The young alchemist was in shock, so he didn't realize what Vincent was doing until he slit the man's throat._

 _Ed didn't have the chance to move out of the way before blood poured over his face. There wasn't a spot on Ed's face or neck that wasn't covered. Vincent watched in sick fascination as his young prisoner was basically bathing in his fellow Amestrian's blood as it continued to flow from his throat._

" _I have to say, I might have been wrong about you earlier," Raulf laughed as he slung his arm around Vincent's shoulders, escorting him out of Ed's cell._

 _The rest of the Drachmans followed, leaving Ed locked in the room with the four corpses._

 _ ***end flashback***_

Ed didn't look like he had any blood at all in his body as Vincent told the story, refusing to leave out a single gory detail. He could feel every single pair of eyes present at this interrogation land on him at some point during the tale. He could now hear multiple people vomiting in the other room. Mustang and Raven looked like they were having difficulty not throwing up themselves.

He had locked this event in the deepest depths of his mind, hoping he would never have to be reminded of it. Those hopes had been crushed all too soon. Despite the fact that he now understood that he didn't have any control over himself, he still saw himself as a monster.

"If you're wondering about the bodies, we burned most of the corpses after Edward spent a couple of days with them," Vincent said next.

"What do you mean most?" Ed asked, without thinking. "What about the rest?"

"Why, Edward, did I forget to tell you?" the deranged man asked in false shock. "So you would always remember that day, a part of each of those men is inside of you!"

 **Yeah...that last part was a bit dark...even by my standards. It was interesting to write anyways. I think it goes without saying that the next chapter will be filled with much Parental!RoyEd fluffiness to make up for this twisted concoction I came up with.**

 **The idea of how the Drachmans controlled Ed actually was inspired by an article I read about a study conducted at the University of Washington where a professor moved his colleague's fingers through signals read by brain-signal reading caps and transmitted through computers that were originally sent by just a thought. This was one of the first demonstrations of human-to-human brain signaling. It was a very interesting article to read. Of course I made some modifications and advanced this concept way more for this story's purposes, but theoretically I guess it could happen?!**

 **Anyways, I think you will enjoy what I have planned for next chapter. It's not dark, I promise! Also, Winry will probably make another appearance in this fic that I will actually go into detail about. I'm looking forward to that. Until then!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Huzzah! I have a returned with another chapter! As promised, this one won't be near as dark as the end of the last chapter. Honestly, that will probably be the darkest chapter of this entire story...maybe...we'll see. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoy writing it. This chapter isn't as long as some of the others, but I hope the content makes up for it!**

 **I still do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, just my plot and original characters.**

"You mean...you...you…." Ed stammered, unable to form a complete sentence.

Vincent burst into laughter as the young alchemist realized what he meant.

"Yes, Edward. We fed you bits of their corpses in every meal we gave you after that little incident. You certainly didn't seem to mind!"

Ed vomited then bolted from the room before Raven or Mustang could react, both being in shock as well. It didn't take long for Mustang to recover. He had been pissed before. He had been downright enraged before. Now, he was absolutely beside himself. Before Raven had a chance to stop him, he slipped on his glove and snapped.

He heard Vincent's scream of agony as he ran out of the room to follow Ed, but he didn't even dare to look back. He had aimed for Vincent's legs, so he knew the man wouldn't die. While he would much rather see that monster dead than alive, he was still aware that he had information that could be beneficial to their military for this war. He was very lucky in that respect. If he wasn't of any use to them anymore, there would have been no repercussions for burning him alive. Well, by his standards. There would probably be some form of consequences for burning the Drachman as he just did, but he didn't care.

The Colonel made a promise to himself. No matter what Fuhrer Bradley said, Ed was not going to ever see that man again. He would personally make sure of that and nothing would deter him. No one was going to convince him otherwise. He never should have let the teen in there to begin with. Orders or not.

He weaved through the generals who were rushing to get into the room to put out the fire on their source of information with ease. He noticed his team was gone, but it didn't take long for him to figure out where they went.

"Lieutenant, please let me go!" Ed begged.

Mustang sprinted down the hall toward the source of the noise. Once rounding the corner, he saw his First Lieutenant practically hugging Ed, trying to keep him in place. The teen struggled, but he didn't want to accidentally hurt Hawkeye. He was still recovering physically, so he wasn't going to make it very far even if he did get out of her hold. Havoc approached him and put a hand on his back to try to calm him down, but he was having trouble keeping his own composure. The Colonel looked around at his team and noticed that they all were having the same problem. Even normally stoic Hawkeye and Falman. He couldn't blame any of them.

After hearing what happened to their youngest comrade, it was a wonder that he was able to put up any sort of front that he was sane. They completely understood why he had been trying to act like everything was normal. Having to talk about such a horrific event only reminded him that it was real and actually happened, and that was something that Ed probably didn't want to believe. None of them wanted to believe it. What Ed had been through was something straight out of hell itself.

"Chief, we're so sorry," Havoc said, his voice slightly cracking, "We're going to be here for you and help you in any way we can."

"Why? Why would you want to do that? I'm a monster! I don't deserve help from anyone!" Ed shrieked back.

His struggles had yet to completely stop. Hawkeye looked desperately at the Colonel. It was obvious that she wanted to comfort the broken alchemist, but didn't know how. Mustang cautiously approached Ed, not wanting to further upset him. He dropped to his knees and put his hands on Ed's shoulders, gently pulling him out of Hawkeye's grasp. She stayed right behind him in the case he tried to make a break for it again.

"Edward, you're not a monster," Mustang said, pulling him into a hug.

He wrapped his arms around Ed tightly enough that he couldn't get out of the embrace, but that certainly didn't stop him from trying.

"Are all of you deaf? You heard everything Vincent said, didn't you?" Ed protested, tears welling in his eyes. "How can you not see me as a monster after that? I murdered three soldiers and was too weak to try to save the fourth. Not only is it my fault that they're dead, I ate parts of them. I ate actual human flesh. I'm a whole new level of freak! Why don't you understand that?"

Mustang had to fight the tears like the rest of his men when he heard his son talk about himself like that. He knew that trying to reason with Ed right now was out of the question. From what he gathered, the teen needed to express how he was truly feeling. It wasn't healthy for him to keep all of that bottled up. Relief flooded through his veins as Ed's struggles got weaker. The Colonel didn't relinquish his hold on the kid, though.

"Edward, you can't run from your pain. You don't have to be strong. Let me carry the burden for you for once," he whispered in Ed's ear.

The teen finally stopped struggling and sagged in Mustang's embrace.

"I'm such a freak. I'm a lost cause, Colonel. I don't even understand why you're trying to help me. I...I…."

Ed couldn't take it anymore. The first tear fell, and a multitude followed after that. He wrapped his arms around Mustang's neck and buried his face in his shoulder, finally letting himself cry. The Colonel tightened his hold around his son, as if he might become physically broken if he didn't.

Mustang's eyes scanned those around them before coming back to Ed. Hughes had been rubbing his eyes furiously, trying to prevent any tears from falling. In his mind, they still had a job to do.

"We need to keep Fuhrer Bradley occupied," he said simply as he motioned for everyone but Hawkeye to follow him.

No one even hesitated. Giving Ed and the Colonel one last sympathetic glance, they followed the Lieutenant Colonel. None of them liked the idea that Fuhrer Bradley wanted Ed in the interrogation in the first place. They were fairly certain that he would try to send Ed and Mustang back in there if he found them. The man didn't seem to have a conscience at all. They didn't want to leave their two comrades, but they also wanted to make sure Ed would be properly cared for.

Mustang didn't even notice the absence of his friend and most of his men. His focus had been solely on the trembling teen in his arms. Ed wasn't even trying to put up a front anymore. Sobs racked his small frame, and it broke his heart to see the kid in such a state. He rubbed his hand up and down Ed's back. It seemed to comfort him.

Hawkeye knelt down next to them. She untied Ed's already messed up braid and ran her fingers soothingly through his hair as he continued to extinguish his tear ducts. She looked at her Colonel, as if debating what she should say, if anything at all. She settled for remaining silent. The three of them remained there until Ed had stopped crying. Neither Mustang nor Hawkeye knew how long that had taken, and neither one of them cared. Ed took deep breaths once the tears had stopped falling, trying to get himself to settle down. Hawkeye's fingers running through his hair made him sleepy. He laid his head down on the Colonel's shoulder and let himself drift off into unconsciousness, too worn out to fight to stay awake any longer.

Both military officers noticed how steady Ed's breathing had become. Not wanting to disturb the boy, Hawkeye looked around Mustang's back so he wouldn't have to move. She noticed that Ed's eyes were closed.

"I think he's asleep," she whispered.

Mustang carefully wrapped Ed's legs around his waist and got up off the ground. He turned to his First Lieutenant.

"Come with me back to my office and make sure no one bothers us."

Nodding, Hawkeye followed close behind Mustang as he carried Ed to his office. The exhausted teen slightly stirred in his sleep, causing the Colonel to unconsciously tighten his arms around him. Neither one of them said a word as they walked through the halls. Mustang let out a sigh of relief as they entered his office. Luck seemed to be on his side as they hadn't run into anyone on their way there.

He carried Ed over to one of the couches. As concerned as Hawkeye was, she couldn't help but grin when she saw the Colonel settle them on the couch so that Ed was curled up in his lap and resting his head against his chest. It made her happy how open the Colonel now was with his paternal instincts when it came to the Elric brothers. The grin quickly faded when she noticed a couple of tears trailing down Mustang's cheeks.

"Are you okay, sir?" she asked.

Mustang laughed quietly to not wake his sleeping kid, but the bitter tone to it couldn't be missed.

"Ed's been through hell and back, and you're asking me if I'm okay?" Mustang paused and wiped the tears away. "You know what the saddest part of that is? I'm not okay. I'm honestly not. Now we know at least part of what Ed had been trying to hide from us, and probably even from himself. I completely understand why. It makes me angry that Vincent made him think of himself as a monster and a freak."

He glanced down to the bundle in his arms. He wrapped his arms even tighter around Ed and pulled him closer, if that was even possible. One more tear fell down his cheek and landed on the golden hair.

"I just wish he could see himself through my eyes. I wish he could see what we all see in him."

"He will, Colonel," Hawkeye said, causing Mustang to look up at her, "I don't like it either that such a sweet boy could see himself as a monster, and trying to convince him otherwise is going to be difficult. However, it's not impossible. It might take a very long time, and you're going to have to be there for him every step of the way, but he will recover from this. I know that the rest of the team and I will help the two of you in any way we can."

The corners of Mustang's lips pulled up into a small grin. He tucked away some of the hair that had fallen in front of Ed's face behind his ear. He knew that his First Lieutenant was right. Ed would recover. He would see the brilliant, brave young alchemist that everyone saw when they laid eyes on the teen. He just wished that time would be now. Although, if there was any upside at all to Ed breaking down earlier, it's that he might be a bit more open to hearing the Colonel out when he woke up.

The Colonel's eyes widened when an idea popped into his head. It may or may not work, but he wanted to try it.

"Lieutenant, do you still have that marker you confiscated from Havoc?" he asked.

Hawkeye nodded, slightly smiling at the memory of Havoc attempting to sneak in the office and draw on the Colonel's face when he had fallen asleep doing paperwork.

"Would you mind getting it for me?"

 ***break***

 _Ed sat in a chair, unable to move as Vincent approached him with a needle and some thread. It was torture knowing what he was about to do, but being completely helpless and unable to stop it made it even worse. Vincent looked amused, as if he knew the internal struggle going on in his mind._

" _I'm sorry I have to do this to you, Edward," Vincent started, not sounding sincere in the slightest, "But I'm afraid I can't have you telling the Colonel or anyone else what's going on. Even we can't control that mouth of yours."_

 _He cast his eyes away from his captor. Vincent had already boasted to him about what the Drachmans were planning for Central. He hated being reminded of that. He was too weak to do anything to stop it. Vincent straddled his thighs and cupped his chin, forcing him to face the deranged man yet again. His tormentor ran his thumb over his lips._

" _It's a shame I have to sew your lips shut again. I rather enjoyed hearing your begging and screaming." Vincent leaned in next to Ed's ear as he pierced the needle through his upper lip, causing a whimper to escape the young alchemist. "In the event that something goes wrong and you see the Colonel die, I have complete faith that you'll be able to tear them out and give me a scream I'll never forget."_

Ed jolted awake, or rather he would have if it hadn't been for the strong, comforting arms wrapped around him that kept him in place. Blinking a few times, he found himself in Mustang's office. He felt a tickling sensation on his flesh arm. He looked down and noticed that the sleeves on his red coat and black jacket had been rolled up. He saw the Colonel writing something on his skin. He cocked his head to the side. He saw a variety of words written on his arm.

 _Brilliant. Strong. Courageous. Loyal. Determined. Kind-hearted. Selfless. Hero of the People. Alchemist. Brother. Comrade. Friend._

What nearly made Ed choke up was what Mustang had just finished writing.

 _My son._

"Even knowing what I've done, you're still going to claim me as yours?" he found himself asking, barely realizing he had actually asked the question out loud.

The Colonel capped the marker and set it aside. Ed took this opportunity to get off of Mustang's lap. He was about to get up when a firm hand on his shoulder kept him down on the couch next to the Colonel. He could feel the man's eyes on him, even though he refused to meet his gaze.

"Edward," the Colonel began, "I'm not going to pretend that I know what you're going through. I don't. I don't know what Vincent told you or how he made you feel. The only thing I can do is tell you that everything he told you or how he made you feel is a lie. You are not a monster, Edward Elric. You are not a freak. You were being controlled. Deep down inside, I know you know that."

"I still could have done something," Ed protested quietly.

The boy wasn't yelling or screaming. He finally made eye contact with Mustang. A twinge of hope fluttered through the Colonel. It at least seemed that Ed was open to actually having a conversation right now.

"You heard Vincent yourself. That receiver was connected to your nerves. It made it nearly impossible for you to resist."

"Nearly impossible meant that it was still possible for me to resist them, and I couldn't."

"You weren't meant to, Ed. Even if you had, you were outnumbered. The Drachmans would have just stopped you until you were back under their control."

Ed was silent, so the Colonel took that as a sign to continue.

"This," he said, running his hand over the words on Ed's forearm, "is what you really are. This is what I see when I look at you. This is what everyone that has ever known you sees within you. Now, going back to your earlier question, I will always claim you as my son, Edward. I told you in the hospital that nothing you do can make me love you any less. The same goes for Alphonse. I'm sorry to break it to you, but you boys are stuck with me for awhile."

Ed didn't even notice the Colonel's smirk. He was still staring down on the words that Mustang had written on him. His eyes started watering slightly.

"Is this really who I am, Colonel?" he asked as he lifted his arm.

Mustang nodded, his smirk turning into a smile.

"I need you to make me a promise. Do you think you can do that for me?"

Ed quickly wiped his eyes and nodded. The Colonel leaned forward until his forehead was resting against Ed's.

"I know it's going to be extremely difficult for you, but I need you to start believing that this," he touched the words on Ed's flesh arm again, "is you. You're not weak. You're not a monster. You're not a freak. I understand that it may take awhile for you fully believe it given everything you've been through, but I need you to promise me that you will at least try."

Ed let a few tears fall before he finally answered.

"I promise."

Mustang sighed in relief. Much like he did in Kanon, he kissed Ed's forehead and pulled him into a hug. This time, it was for a much better reason. The last time he did that, he and Ed were separated and he was supposed to be cooperating with the Drachmans. Now, it seemed to seal his vow to be there for his son and to help in any way possible during his healing. Although, if Mustang was honest with himself, he would help Ed and Al in any way he could for as long as he lived.

Ed sighed contently as he let the Colonel hold him. He continued to stare at the words on his arm. Actually seeing what others thought him to be helped him more than Mustang would ever understand. Of course, he realized that was probably Mustang's intent. He fought to keep his eyes open. He had just woken up a few minutes ago, after all. Despite his inner protests, his eyes were slowly starting to droop shut.

"Colonel, I think I'm going to...fall back asleep," he mumbled tiredly, resting his head against Mustang's shoulder.

Mustang quickly pulled Ed back into his lap, in the previous position he had been sleeping in. He settled back against the couch, feeling quite tired himself. He looked down on Ed and saw that he was already fast asleep. With a smile on his face, Mustang soon drifted off as well.

 ***break***

The Colonel made his way through the halls of the dormitory with Havoc just a step behind him. Hawkeye had woken him up after letting him sleep for a couple of hours. She thought it best to get Ed back to the dorms. As usual, she was right. An office isn't exactly an ideal or most comfortable place to rest.

He found himself checking every few seconds to make sure Ed was still asleep in his arms. His kid had a very emotional day, and he desperately needed to rest. Especially since Fuhrer Bradley wouldn't let him stay in the hospital as long as he should have. Havoc opened the door to their dorm, allowing Mustang to carry the young alchemist into the room. He gently set Ed down on one of the beds. Havoc had already volunteered to bunk with Al for the night. Mustang was grateful for that. He figured Ed probably wouldn't want to face his younger brother right away.

Ed didn't even have to ask him or anyone else not to, no one was going to tell Al about what Vincent had revealed that day. Mustang knew that it would absolutely destroy him if Al ever found out. He wouldn't want his little brother to visualize him being forced to do such horrific things. That would remain a secret from the younger Elric unless Ed ever decided to talk to him about it.

Havoc and Mustang carefully removed Ed's boots and coat. They tucked him in and made sure he was comfortable. The kid never even stirred. That wasn't a surprise. He had to have been physically and emotionally exhausted. Once Ed was settled, Havoc smiled and left the two alchemists.

Mustang knelt down next to Ed's sleeping form. He stroked his kid's hair, knowing that it would comfort him even while he was unconscious. He couldn't help but grin when Ed leaned into his hand, a pleasant expression crossing his face. He could tell that the conversation in his office made the teen feel a lot better, but there was still work to do. He wouldn't rest until his son was completely whole again, however long that may take.

"Everything's going to be okay," Mustang found himself whispering, "I know you might feel like it won't be. I know you probably still feel broken, but I won't let you remain that way. Everything's going to be okay... _you're_ going to be okay."

It was almost like Ed could actually hear him. A small smile formed on the teen's sleeping face. Mustang was tempted to sleep in the other bed, but he couldn't get himself to. He soon found himself under the blankets with Ed, wrapping his arms around his kid protectively. As much as he wanted to just sit there and watch Ed sleep, he needed rest too.

After all, he and General Raven would continue the interrogation with Vincent tomorrow. Whether Fuhrer Bradley was okay with it or not. They were getting whatever information they could out of the man, and they were going to help the military end this war.

 **And there's the sixth chapter! Again, sorry that this one was a little bit shorter. Once I started writing the fluff, I couldn't stop. This just seemed to be the best place for it to end. I hadn't intended for this chapter to be almost pure fluff...but oh well. I loved writing it, and I hope you all enjoyed reading it! The plot will thicken yet again in the next chapter! I hope to update again soon. Until then!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello again! Here is the next chapter! Thank you all so much for the response to this story so far and for being patient with me and my random updates! You all are great! Anyways, on with the story!**

 **I still do not own Fullmetal Alchemist...and unfortunately I never will. A girl can dream though.**

General Raven and Colonel Mustang shared no words between them as they marched through the halls toward the interrogation room once again, each carrying two pails of water. Despite the burns Mustang had inflicted on Vincent, he was kept in the same room for the entire night. His injuries weren't life threatening, so there was really no need to move him, especially considering there was more information to be obtained from him. Raven nodded at the officers guarding the door to the room, having already briefed them that he and the Colonel would be continuing the interrogation.

He had also ordered them not to interfere, no matter what they might hear. He and Mustang needed to do whatever it took to get this information before more Amestrian lives were lost.

The Drachman didn't look the least bit surprised when the two entered the room again. He actually looked rather amused. Mustang looked upon him with satisfaction when he noticed the dry blood still on his face and the charred remains of the lower half of his pants. He could even see the burns up to the man's knees, where he guessed the fire ended after the generals came in and put it out.

"I see you're back already," Vincent observed. "I assume you're here to continue the interrogation?"

Raven finally spoke up as he and Mustang sat down across from the Drachman.

"Where are you Drachmans planning to attack next?" he asked bluntly.

Vincent clicked his tongue.

"I'm afraid I can't answer that for you. Edward isn't here. That was part of the deal, after all. Until he's in this room, I won't answer any more of your questions."

The General glanced at Mustang and nodded. The Colonel reached forward, grabbing Vincent by his hair. He bashed the Drachman's head against the table, not hard enough to knock him out, but hard enough to cause pain to spread across his face from his already broken nose. Vincent let out a cry of pain as blood flowed from his nose yet again.

"Major Elric will not be joining us. You will not be seeing him ever again. Now, I would highly advise that you answer our questions willingly, or I will go to other methods of extracting the information we need from you," Mustang growled.

"You're not going to do anything?" Vincent demanded as he looked to General Raven.

The General merely shrugged. The Drachman actually looked a little shocked. Mustang noticed this, and a smirk grew on his face.

"I'm going to give you another chance to answer our questions. Where will your men attack next?"

Vincent still refused to answer, so Mustang stood and snapped. Vincent's eyes widened and he clenched his teeth in a vain attempt to prevent an audible scream as his legs were burned yet again. The Colonel poured water on the fire, ending it as quickly as he started it, but it still caused Ed's abuser to suffer. The wounds that were already there made this a terribly painful experience for the Drachman.

"Tell us what we want to know, and this will end," Raven commented casually.

Despite the pain he was feeling, Vincent managed that insufferable smile of his.

"I know something the Colonel will want to know," he said, sounding out of breath, "His little subordinate isn't near as strong as everyone seems to believe. He actually begged for us to stop as we had him execute your spies. Up until that point, he only ever begged for us to spare you, Mustang. We actually broke him down enough to get him to beg for himself. How pathetic is that?"

Mustang snapped again, aiming for Vincent's right eye. The man howled in pure agony as he felt his eye boiling. After dousing him with water to put the fire out, the Colonel gripped his hair and yanked his head up. The right eye was an ugly, burned, bloody mess, but there was no missing that glare in the other eye.

"You know what's pathetic? A fifteen-year-old having a higher pain threshold than the grown man who tortured him. Now, tell us what you're planning, or you're going to find yourself completely blind," the Flame Alchemist threatened, poising his fingers to snap again.

After a few deep breaths, Vincent muttered something.

"What was that?" he demanded as he yanked on Vincent's hair, causing the man to wince in pain.

"Fort Briggs is where the next attack will be," the Drachman got out through his gasps for breath, "The attack will be a bit delayed given the mishap in Central, but it will happen in no later than a couple of weeks."

Mustang somewhat relaxed. He was completely aware that he and General Armstrong didn't and probably would never get along, but he highly respected her as a general. She was an incredibly strong leader and a great strategist. An attack from the Drachmans shouldn't be anything that she couldn't handle, especially if the Fuhrer sent her reinforcements. Vincent chuckled.

"Don't get too happy now, Colonel. Even with my warning, it won't be of much good for your country. I would be lying if I said Fort Briggs would be easy to take down. However, can those soldiers handle an attack from both the Amestrian and Drachman sides of the fort? I highly doubt so. Your military might have human weapons, ones that we couldn't deny that we'd want to have, but we have made our own advancements in our weaponry that your military won't be able to handle. You and Edward would have just further secured our victory. However, we will still manage it. Even if every soldier was sent to help, it still wouldn't be enough. Fort Briggs will fall, allowing us to completely invade Amestris."

The Colonel was unsettled, but he didn't allow himself to show it. He let go of Vincent's hair as General Raven rose from his chair. They had the information they needed. As Mustang put his hand on the doorknob, Vincent made him freeze in his tracks.

"You know my original orders were to capture you, Colonel," he began, pain lacing his voice, "If something were to happen during our attack on Central and we couldn't, I ordered my men to kill you when they got the chance. I would consider you lucky that the majority of them are already heading north or are imprisoned. I think I'm going to change that order. I want to keep you alive. You and Edward will be mine when Drachma emerges from this war victorious. You'll spend every moment for the rest of your miserable life watching Edward suffer, unable to do anything to stop me. You'll be useless, just like you were in Kanon. What joy I will find when that day arrives!"

Mustang stormed over to the Drachman and bashed his head against table yet again. He leaned in next to Vincent until his lips were right next to the man's ear.

"I don't think you fully understand what position you're really in. You're never going to be released. You're never going to see Edward again. When Amestris wins this war, you won't be of any use to us anymore. You're going to rot in prison until the day you are executed, and I am going to request that I be the one to kill you. It won't be quick. It will be a slow, agonizing death for everything you've done to my subordinate." He whispered in an eerily calm manner.

The Colonel sent one last glare at Vincent as he and Raven exited the room, and Vincent met him with an irritating, knowing smile.

"We need to stop by my office before we go see the Fuhrer," Raven said as they made their way through the halls of Central Command.

Mustang nodded and his eyebrows slightly quirked, curious as to what the General would need before seeing Bradley. Raven noticed and grinned. The two continued in silence as they entered the office. Raven gestured to one of the chairs as he picked up his phone, inviting the Colonel to sit. He was barely aware of the General dialing a number and giving whatever codes he needed to contact whoever he was trying to reach. Vincent's words echoed in his mind.

" _You and Edward will be mine when Drachma emerges from this war victorious. You'll spend every moment for the rest of your miserable life watching Edward suffer, unable to do anything to stop me."_

A shiver ran down his spine. It was more difficult than he was willing to admit to keep his composure after Vincent said that. His mind immediately feared the worst for Ed. However, he had to remind himself that would never happen. He wouldn't let it. He was brought out of his thoughts when Raven spoke up.

"General Armstrong, I have some information that might be of interest to you."

The Colonel froze. He was fairly certain that temperature in the office decreased by about ten degrees just from the mere mention of the notorious Ice Queen. The General looked quite amused by his shocked expression.

"We've interrogated one of the Drachman generals. There's going to be an attack on Fort Briggs in a couple of weeks from both sides of the fort. What can we do to help you the most?"

Mustang's thoughts wandered back to the day he gave his report of the events in Kanon. When General Armstrong wanted to speak with Generals Raven and Grumman, they must have made some sort of pact to tell each other any information that could be of use to them. He couldn't blame them. Given how distorted the Fuhrer's approach to handling this situation with Drachma has been, that pact was probably for the best. Raven grabbed a pen and some paper, writing down everything Armstrong was telling him. He was quiet for a while, allowing that awkward silence to return. The expression on his face changed all of a sudden, forming a fond smile in the Colonel's direction.

"Yes, he found Major Elric. He's here with me now, actually."

The General's eyebrows rose as he heard what Olivier said next. He extended the phone toward Mustang.

"She wants to talk to you."

The Colonel stiffened and his eyes widened. He felt numb as he got up and took the phone from General Raven.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, General Armstrong?"

He was surprised with how calm he sounded. Despite the fact that she was at Fort Briggs and he was in Central, he was still terrified of her. Olivier didn't even bother acknowledging his question.

"Is Major Elric okay?" she asked.

There was something odd about the way she asked the question. Her tone was still cold, but not like it usually was. There seemed to be an edge of genuine concern in it, something that the Colonel wasn't aware the Ice Queen was capable of. He took a deep breath before answering.

"Right now, no. It's going to take him a long time to recover, but he will eventually be okay. I'm certain of that. He's stronger than any soldier I've ever known."

"I hope you're right, Colonel," she said, "Listen, given what General Raven told me, I'm going to assume that Fuhrer Bradley is going to send forces up north. More than likely, that's going to include the state alchemists. I would like to think that he won't make Major Elric go, but I also never would have guessed that he would have sent you two alone to Kanon. Whatever happens, you better protect your subordinate. If I hear of anything happening to Major Elric, I'm personally going to come to Central and kick your ass."

With that, General Armstrong hung up the phone. The Colonel couldn't help but laugh. Ed managed to wriggle his way into the heart of almost everyone who got to know him. The Ice Queen hadn't even had a chance to meet the young alchemist, and he already had her worrying about him. Raven and Mustang left the office to meet up with the Fuhrer.

"It might interest you to know, Colonel," Raven said as they walked through the halls, "General Armstrong sent some of her own men into Drachma to search for your subordinate."

Mustang froze in complete shock.

"Why would she do that? She hates me!" he nearly yelled.

The General chuckled as they continued walking.

"Despite what you may think, she doesn't hate you...not completely anyway," he began, "Disregarding any personal reasons for why she doesn't like you, she knows you're not corrupt like a lot of the other generals and colonels. She not only respects your skills as an alchemist, but she respects the fact that you care so much for your men, much like she does. She knew that watching Major Elric get tortured and not being able to do anything while he was in Drachma absolutely destroyed you, so she decided to help in the search for your subordinate. I don't think Fuhrer Bradley knew she sent any of her men in. She kept me updated as to how they were doing. Unfortunately, they weren't able to find their base. At least they weren't the ones captured and they all made it back to Fort Briggs safely."

The Colonel was still in shock. However, he was glad to hear that all of Armstrong's men survived. He would have felt guilty if any of them had been hurt while trying to find Ed, especially since his own team wasn't able to do anything during that time. Despite how odd it seemed that General Armstrong was on his side in a way, he definitely did not mind. Even if it was extremely reluctant, an alliance with Olivier could be beneficial to the both of them.

Mustang raised his eyebrows when General Raven barged into the Fuhrer's office without knocking. He was even more surprised when it looked as if Bradley had been expecting them.

"General Raven, Colonel Mustang, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" he asked in his infuriatingly polite manner.

"The Drachmans are planning to attack Fort Briggs from both the Amestrian and Drachman sides of the fort. We need to try to intercept them before they make it up north," the General said, getting straight to the point.

"I see. This is important information. However, I do not remember authorizing either of you to continue the interrogation yet."

Bradley turned to look out of the window. Despite his back being turned, he could practically feel the glares of the General and the Colonel.

"I understand that, sir, but I'm afraid this is war. I made this decision because I didn't think the interrogation should have waited. We needed to know when and where the next attack would be as soon as possible."

Raven spoke through clenched teeth, yet he somehow managed to come across as respectful to his superior. The Fuhrer really didn't have his priorities straight if he was more concerned about him and Mustang conducting an unauthorized interrogation on the man the orchestrated the attack on Central. Fuhrer Bradley sighed.

"I'm assuming that you had to go to some...extreme measures to obtain this information. Am I correct?" Mustang and Raven remained silent, so the Fuhrer took that as a yes. "I'm afraid that's a bit unethical."

"So is sending in a fifteen-year-old into an interrogation with the man that tortured him," Mustang remarked with a cold smile, "Looks like we're all a bit guilty of doing something we shouldn't have."

The Fuhrer finally turned back around. The pleasant smile remained on his face, but it was easy to tell that it was forced.

"I suppose you're right, Colonel. I guess we can't change anything that's already been done. We need to move forward. I will have to consult with the other generals, but it looks like we will need to send reinforcements to Fort Briggs as well as try to prevent the attack from our side of the fort. The Drachmans are not a force to be reckoned with, so we will be sending in all of our best weapons."

Mustang's eyes widened when he realized what Bradley meant. All of the state alchemists would be going back to war. Bradley's eyes flashed dangerously, as if he could read the Colonel's mind.

"All of our state alchemists will be heading up north, no exceptions."

 ***break***

"Colonel, you really need to calm down," Havoc tried to reason with Mustang as he was throwing suitcases out of the closet.

"Do you think Ed can fit into any of these?" the Colonel asked. "I'm fairly sure he won't come with me willingly. I'll have to resort to stuffing him in a suitcase and getting the hell out of here."

Before the Second Lieutenant even got a chance to answer, Mustang slapped his hand to his forehead.

"What am I thinking? I'm sure Ed can fit in Al's armor. Then all I would have to do is smuggle them both into Xing."

"I don't think so, Colonel."

Havoc and Mustang turned to find Ed leaning in the doorway with an amused look on his face.

"So you've heard about Fuhrer Bradley's orders?" Havoc guessed.

Ed nodded, his face darkening slightly.

"As much as I don't want to go to war, I have to. I need to redeem myself for the part I played in the attack on Central."

A tense silence filled the room. Havoc got the courage to break it.

"They made you destroy the hotel, didn't they?"

Ed's mouth set into a grim line. His head slightly moved to indicate a nod.

"You were being controlled, Fullmetal," Mustang sighed, "We've gone over this. There wasn't anything you could have done."

"I know that," Ed said, looking away, "The guilt is still there, though. If I can do anything to prevent more innocent people from getting killed, I think I'll be able to get over it and be at peace."

Mustang opened his mouth to respond, but couldn't. In a way, he knew how Ed was feeling. He was only following orders in Ishval, but that didn't stop the guilt that plagued him nearly every moment of his life since then. However, that in no way meant that he liked the idea of his kid going up north to fight the Drachmans. While he knew they still wouldn't kill Ed, the fate Vincent planned for the young alchemist terrified him even more. Besides, the teen was nowhere near recovered, physically or mentally. He must have been portraying his concern because Ed spoke up again.

"Would you mind giving us a minute alone?" the teen asked as he turned to Havoc.

The Second Lieutenant nodded and left the room, no questions asked. Ed faced Mustang yet again. The Colonel sat down on his bed, running a hand through his hair.

"I know you don't want me to go, Colonel," Ed said as he sat down next to his commanding officer, "I have to, though. It's not like I have a choice."

Mustang rubbed his hand over his face.

"I never wanted this for you," he whispered. "I never wanted you to even be faced with the prospect of you heading to a battlefield. You and Al should have been traveling around Amestris to find a way to get your bodies back these past four months. You shouldn't have been captured and you certainly shouldn't be going off to war. I don't think I can express to you how difficult it is for me not to jump on a train with you two and get you as far away from this war as you could possibly get."

"You can't risk your job and reputation just to protect Al and I."

"You and Al would be worth it."

"Colonel, you have to become Fuhrer. The corruption in our military will only get worse if you don't. You can't do that if you get yourself kicked out of the military."

The Colonel sighed.

"I know. I also know that no matter what I say or do, you would wind up going anyway," he said with a small grin. "Fullmetal couldn't have been a more accurate name for you."

Ed smiled. He could still tell that Mustang didn't like the idea of him going up north.

"Would it make you feel better if I promised to properly rest until we leave as well as actually talk to you if I...well…." Ed trailed off, but the Colonel knew what he was getting at.

Mustang nodded. Concerning the matter of Ed properly resting, that wasn't an option. He would make sure of that personally. The kid promising to talk to him if he had any bad memories or nightmares was something he wasn't expecting, but it made sense. He was willing to do anything to make up for what he'd done in Ishval, and Ed was willing to do anything to make himself feel at peace for whatever he had done as a prisoner of Drachma, even though it wasn't his fault. Although he was tempted to try and talk Ed out of it, he didn't even bother. There was no point. His boy was just as stubborn as he was, so nothing was going to change his mind.

The Colonel almost chuckled out loud. Like father like son, after all.

"I don't like it at all," he said, "but I guess we really don't have another choice. If you're going to go, you're going to remain by my side at all times. Do you understand?"

Ed nodded and smiled. For once, he wouldn't mind following one of the Colonel's orders.

 ***three days later***

Mustang's team stood together as they waited for the train to arrive. The station was alive with the chatter of soldiers saying their goodbyes to their loved ones. The Colonel put a hand on Ed's shoulder as the train pulled into the station. The kid turned around to face his brother one last time before leaving. Al picked Ed up in a hug.

"Please be careful, brother," Al said, worry laced in his tone.

"I will, Al. I promise!" Ed responded.

He and the others started to board the train. Mustang was about to get on when he felt a cold hand on his shoulder.

"The same goes for you, Colonel."

Mustang turned to the younger Elric.

"I'll take care of your brother, Al. I promise."

The suit of armor quickly snatched the Colonel into a hug.

"I know you will. Thank you."

Letting Mustang go, Al stepped back into the sea of people remaining in the station as the Colonel got on the train. Everyone started waving as the train began moving. Ed leaned out the window and waved to his brother, a big smile gracing his face.

If Al could smile, he would have too. While the thought of his brother going to war terrified him, he felt better knowing that the Colonel and his team would look out for Ed. He knew for a fact that his brother would be okay.

 ***break***

Vincent smiled to himself as he sat alone in his cell. From what he had heard, this was the day the state alchemists along with several soldiers were heading north. He and the rest of his men had been waiting for the past three days for this.

He gently touched the patch covering his eye. The Colonel would suffer for the pain he inflicted on him in that interrogation. The mere idea of that excited him because that meant he would get to have fun with Edward again. He closed his remaining eye and sighed, remembering the devastated look in the Colonel's eyes as he couldn't do anything but watch as he tortured the kid.

The smile on Vincent's face grew when he heard an explosion followed by gunfire. His time sitting around was over. He had to lead the Drachmans to victory. Losing this war wasn't an option. He had two prizes waiting for him, after all.

 **And they're off to war! What could possibly go wrong? Actually...I'm not going to answer that. I do apologize for the later update. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I know I enjoyed writing it.**

 **Also, I can't remember if there were phones at Fort Briggs or not...either way let's just pretend there were. I had to include Olivier because I love her so much. Next chapter will be a bit more suspenseful and more war-oriented, so that will be fun! Anyways, until next time!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello! I've finally got my crap together and I'm back with another chapter! Thank you guys so much for reviewing/favoriting/following this story! I hope you guys like this chapter! It's a bit more exciting than the last one, so I really hope you all enjoy it!**

 **Warning: Vincent will be...well...Vincent. Again, nothing explicit. Just giving a heads up.**

 **I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. Just my plot and original characters.**

Ed fidgeted in his seat next to Havoc. As much as he tried not to, he couldn't help it. Normally, long train rides didn't bother him, but this was different. He couldn't shake the familiar feeling as he looked to the Colonel, who was sitting across from him. Sympathy flashed across Mustang's face for the briefest moment. He knew exactly what the kid was feeling.

The last time they had sat across from each other on a train, they had been heading to Kanon for a simple mine inspection. That was obviously not what happened. No matter how much Ed didn't want those old memories to resurface, the young alchemist couldn't help but be filled with anxiety and dread. It was driving him insane.

"I'm going to walk around," Ed mumbled as he shot up out of his seat.

He quickly walked past the rest of Mustang's team and Lieutenant Colonel Hughes as he entered the next train car. Mustang waited a minute before getting up to follow him. He had an idea of where the teen was heading. The last two cars held their supplies, so there was a good chance that Ed was going there to get some time alone. Considering that he hadn't really had a moment alone since the team had found him, the Colonel couldn't blame him. However, he still had to follow Ed, just to make sure he was okay.

Ed tried to avoid the gazes of the other soldiers as he made his way through the train cars. Being the youngest person in the military already drew enough attention to him. The fact that he had been missing for the past four months didn't do anything to help with that. No one said anything to him, but he could feel the gazes of a few curious soldiers. He ignored them and continued to the back of the train. Much to his relief, the further back he went, the fewer soldiers there were.

After what seemed to be a long trek, he finally made it to the first car that held the soldiers' supplies. The second he shut the door, he closed his eyes and sighed. He really needed some time alone, and he really hoped that the others would understand and not come looking for him. He stepped forward and his eyes flew open when he heard a splash. Looking down, he saw his foot in a pool of blood and a lifeless body just a foot away. The soldier's throat was slashed and his eyes were open and unmoving. Time froze as he stood there, unable to take his eyes off of the gruesome scene before him. He wanted to scream, but his voice caught in his throat.

Suddenly, a gloved hand covered his mouth and someone grabbed his arms. He let out a muffled yelp when he felt something plunge into his neck. He twisted and turned to free himself, but he only succeeded in causing his assailants to stumble into some of the crates, knocking them over. They managed to keep their hold on him. He felt the familiar effects of the sedative start pulling him toward unconsciousness. His struggles weakened, and his assailants dragged him to the next train car.

He finally sagged in their arms, his energy completely drained. He heard his attackers talking, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. He could vaguely hear the tone in their voices. They sounded like they were panicking. He wanted to know why, but unconsciousness claimed him quite quickly.

 ***break***

Mustang paused for a moment before opening the door. He briefly wondered if he should just let Ed be, but he couldn't shake the ominous feeling that had been creeping up on him as he walked throughout the train. He knew in his gut that something was wrong. Putting on his ignition gloves, he opened the door to the next train car. He tried to imagine what he would see, but his imagination didn't prepare him for the sight waiting for him.

One of the guards on the train was lying in a pool of blood, and two figures in black were dragging his kid toward the next train car.

"Ed!" he yelled as he raced after them.

How the hell did any Drachmans get on this train? He didn't know. He didn't care. What mattered was the fact that they were taking Ed away. The second he barged through the next door, he was tackled to the ground before he even had a chance to look for his subordinate. He snapped. He wasn't sure where he hit exactly, but he managed to get the Drachman off of him. However, his victory was short-lived.

He didn't even have a chance to get up when pain shot through both of his hands. There was a slash through the transmutation circle on his gloves. The slash ran through the back of his hands, staining his white gloves with his blood.

"He's got back up coming! Disconnect the car, now!" he heard someone order.

Apparently, all of the commotion he caused had drawn the attention of some of the other soldiers. If he could distract them long enough, he could probably get him and Ed out of this. It would be difficult without his greatest weapon, but he had to try.

Nearly slipping on the floor from the blood, he staggered to his feet. Three Drachmans advanced on him. One swung at him, but he dodged the arm and grabbed it. Using the man's own momentum against him, he hurled the Drachman into the side of the car, causing his head to bash into the wall. Unfortunately, he stumbled as he felt a shift in the car's speed. He felt two strong arms lock around him from behind, pinning his arms to his side. Despite his thrashing, the man holding him didn't release him. His struggling efforts doubled when he felt a pinch in his neck.

His limbs grew heavy and he had difficulty keeping his head up. He was dragged behind some of the crates and dumped next to Ed's unconscious form. He turned his head with the little energy he had left to look at his kid. As the train car slowly rolled to a stop, he couldn't help but think about how he had failed both of his boys again.

 ***break***

Hughes and Hawkeye weaved their way through the hoard of soldiers that had migrated to the back of the train, the rest of the team hot on their heels. They had heard murmuring about a crash and yelling in the last two cars of the train. This didn't sound like a good sign. That was confirmed when their eyes laid on the pool of blood and body visible in the next car. Hughes recognized him as the guard that was supposed to search each of the train cars.

"Has anyone investigated the last car?" the Lieutenant Colonel demanded.

The soldiers looked to each other awkwardly, as if deciding who should speak up.

"I'm sorry, sir, but the last car with our supplies is gone. It looks like someone disconnected it."

All of Mustang's men stared at each other with wide eyes. Havoc sprinted through the car and flung the door open. The officer's words were true.

"This can't be happening," he muttered.

"Did Colonel Mustang and Major Elric head to the back of the train?" Hawkeye asked.

The few soldiers that had been in the preceding car nodded. The Lieutenant Colonel approached them.

"Tell me exactly what happened."

The soldiers explained how they heard yelling after Mustang had entered the car, but didn't think too much of it. One of them had decided to investigate when they heard a few crashes, and that was when they saw the body. Initially, annoyance surged through each one of Mustang's men. However, they tried not to show it. They all had to remember that Flame and Fullmetal yelling matches and fights were quite common. No one outside of Mustang's team and Lieutenant Colonel Hughes knew how the relationship between the two alchemists was evolving, so those soldiers wouldn't have thought anything was out of the ordinary.

However, it didn't change the fact that Mustang and Ed were gone, and everyone knew the Drachmans were responsible.

"We need to stop the train and search the area. We have to find them," Breda said.

He and Hughes ran to tell the conductor what happened, leaving the others behind. Worry was evident on each of their faces, especially the normally stoic First Lieutenant.

Riza Hawkeye had only felt fear a few times in her life, the worst time being when she couldn't get ahold of her Colonel while he was in Kanon. Now, that fear returned to slowly start consuming her. The Drachmans had two people she cared about, far more than she would ever be willing to admit, back in their clutches. She felt like a failure for not watching the Colonel's back. That was her job. That's what Roy Mustang himself had personally asked her to do. Then there was her unspoken vow to watch out for the Elric brothers, which she couldn't help but make as she grew closer to those boys.

She shook her head. She couldn't dwell on that. She had to keep moving forward, just like her Colonel would. The team would find them. They would be okay, and they all were going to make the Drachmans regret even thinking about going to war with Amestris.

 ***break***

Mustang had found that waking up after being drugged was already an unpleasant experience. Waking up after being drugged, having been thrown over someone's shoulder, was incredibly frustrating. Trying to break through the haze the drug caused was next to impossible with the blood rushing to his head. He felt nauseated from the swaying motion from being carried, but he tried to ignore it. He blinked, hoping he could see his surroundings, but was met with darkness.

Even though his mind was still a bit fuzzy, it didn't take him long at all to remember what happened. He shifted slightly, his first thought being to fight. His wrists protested this movement due to the cuffs digging into his skin and restraining them behind his back. He could feel blood trickling down his arms from the small movement. His legs were quite useless considering they were bound and the Drachman carrying him had an arm locked around his knees.

"Ed?" he tried to call out, but it was muffled due to the cloth that had been tied between his teeth.

"Is the kid awake?" one of the Drachmans asked.

"Doesn't look like it. We need to put him back out, though. From what I understand, he's only going to cause trouble for us."

Next thing the Colonel knew, he felt another pinch in his neck, unconsciousness following soon after.

When he awoke yet again, he could tell a big difference in their surroundings, even though he couldn't see. Before, it had been relatively quiet. Now, he could hear several people talking and moving around. He registered that he was still being carried, the nausea he had felt previously making a full comeback. However, it didn't last for long.

He let out a muffled grunt when the person carrying slid him off of his shoulders, dropping him roughly on the ground and causing him to land on his wrists. It was a wonder he didn't break one of them. Someone yanked him into a sitting position, also removing the sack that had been thrown over his head. He found himself in a tent. He guessed that the Drachmans had taken him and Ed to their camp. How they managed to evade the Amestrian military and set this up, he would never know.

He tried to figure out how long he had been unconscious. Given the shade of light peeking through the flap of the tent, he could gather that the sun was probably setting now. Just a moment later, the flap fully opened, and a Drachman carrying Ed over his shoulder walked through.

Muffled protests came from the young alchemist, but he was still to out of it to put up much of a fight. The Drachman carrying him dropped him a few feet away and left. Much like Mustang, he had been handcuffed, gagged, and his legs were bound. As his head cleared, he squirmed a bit to try to free himself, but it was pointless.

Seconds after the Drachman left, two people both alchemists had hoped to never see again sauntered into the tent. The Colonel initially wondered how it was possible for Corin and Vincent to be standing before them, but he figured the Drachmans must have been planning a prison break for after the soldiers had been deployed to the north.

Mustang had the sinking realization that Vincent had been right. Despite the warning he gave, they still seemed to be one step ahead of the Amestrian military.

He noticed that Corin's arm was no longer in a sling as it had been in the prison. A part of Mustang had hoped it would take longer for the man's shoulder to heal, considering what he did to Ed. The insufferable smirk he wore on his face made him wish he had his glove so he could burn it right off his face. Unconsciously, he tried to scoot closer to his subordinate as Corin got closer, and Corin was all too happy to wrap his arms around him and drag him away from Ed.

"It's good to see you again, Colonel," Corin hissed in his ear, "I would say these are much better circumstances than the last time I saw you, wouldn't you agree?"

Mustang refused to acknowledge the Drachman holding him. His eyes widened in horror as Vincent knelt down in front of Ed and stroked his cheek. Right before his eyes, he was seeing his failure of not protecting his son from the man who tortured him horrendously.

"I really missed you, Edward. Colonel Mustang said I would never see you again. I have to say that I'm very happy he was wrong," Vincent said while glancing at Mustang out of the corner of his eye.

He pulled Ed in a hug, and it made Mustang's blood boil. The Colonel didn't even want to begin to imagine the horrors Vincent planned for Ed. All he knew was that he would be lucky if Ed would ever hug him again after they got out of this.

The Drachman general released the kid and took his face into his hands, running his thumbs under the kid's eyes. He tilted his head to the side.

"You have hope and defiance in those golden eyes of yours. I thought I had gotten rid of that in Drachma. It seems spending too much time with the Colonel made it return. I'm afraid I'll have to fix that."

Mustang strained against Corin's hold as Vincent straddled Ed and pushed him down on the ground. He pushed Ed's shirt up to reveal his stomach. He ran his hand over the scars left behind by his carving.

 _PROPERTY OF DRACHMA_

"It's actually starting to heal quite nicely," he commented.

When he pulled out a knife, Ed could only stare at him, horrified. The gag in his mouth muffled his screams as Vincent dug the knife into his stomach. He squirmed as the man dragged the knife down his stomach, recarving the message.

"Stop squirming, Edward. You know from last time that it will only hurt worse if you don't stay still."

Mustang's heart ached for his kid. Here he was, useless, as Ed was being tortured before his eyes yet again. It seemed like an eternity before Vincent was finished, Ed's screams being replaced by his ragged breathing. He nearly vomited when he heard the sickening squelch as Vincent finally removed the knife.

Vincent stared at the bloody knife, completely mesmerized.

"Considering the circumstances, I think Colonel Mustang needs the same thing."

"No!"

It might have been muffled, but Ed clearly protested this. This amused Vincent, causing his eyes to twinkle with delight.

"I see you don't want that, Edward. I'm fairly certain I already know the answer, but I'm going to ask for the sake of your commanding officer: are you willing to go through anything, as long as I leave him alone?"

Ed nodded vigorously. Vincent laughed, well aware that it was absolutely destroying the Colonel on the inside.

"Well I'm certainly glad to see that hasn't changed! I'm not sure how long it will last, but I can promise that I'll leave him alone for now." He turned to Mustang. "You've got a really good kid. I hope you know that."

With that, Vincent scooped Ed up into his arms. Ed's eyes met Mustang's for a brief moment. The Colonel could tell that Ed was trying to be brave, but his eyes betrayed a small sliver of fear. He understood completely. He didn't even try to hide the fear he was feeling for Ed as Vincent carried him out of the tent.

"Sweet dreams, Colonel," Corin whispered as Mustang felt yet another pinch in his neck.

The Drachman set him down on his side, then he followed his superior out of the tent. Much against his will, Mustang eventually succumbed to whatever hallucinations were waiting for him.

 ***break***

Ed had mixed feelings as Vincent carried him away from the Colonel. If he was honest, he was completely terrified for what the deranged man had in store for him. On the other hand, the more time Vincent spent with him, the less of a chance he had to be with Mustang.

They entered another tent. Ed assumed that this was where Vincent was staying. The Drachman gently set him on the ground. He touched his forehead to Ed's.

"I really did miss you. We're going to have to make up for lost time."

He got up and disappeared from Ed's line of sight. After spending four months with the man, the young alchemist knew that he was probably searching through his various torture devices for whatever he could use to inflict whatever kind of pain he concocted in his twisted mind.

"What the hell is on your arm?" he heard Vincent ask aloud.

Ed didn't even bother turning his head. He knew exactly what Vincent would be doing. He felt the sleeve of his red coat being rolled up. Vincent mumbled the words he saw written on his flesh arm.

"Brilliant. Strong. Courageous. Loyal. Determined. Kind-hearted. Selfless. Hero of the People. Alchemist. Brother. Comrade. Friend. Mustang's son…."

The tension between the two could have been sliced through with a knife. Ed shut his eyes, not exactly wanting to see Vincent's reaction.

"Did he tell you that this is what you are?"

Ed didn't answer. He couldn't if he wanted to. The anger in Vincent's tone made it obvious that he was not pleased.

"I'm going to assume you wrote that to help you believe whatever that Colonel told you. I'm afraid I'm going to have to burn that off, or I guess I could make Mustang do it. I don't want you thinking any of that is true, because it's not." Ed's eyes shot open when Vincent shoved him to the ground and settled on top of him once again. Vincent's lips found their way next to Ed's ear. "Understand this, Edward, you are mine and mine alone. You are nothing more than that. I didn't think I needed to, but I guess I'm going to have to mark you as mine."

Ed shuddered as Vincent's lips traveled down his jaw and to his neck. He let out a muffled cry of pain as the Drachman sunk his teeth into his neck. He clenched his eyes shut again, wishing this nightmare would end.

 ***break***

 _He could see himself, his unconscious self. He turned around and looked at the familiar scene of the tent he was being kept in. Something felt...off. He didn't feel any fear. He didn't feel any dread. He was just existing. Just as he had come to appreciate the silence in the tent, a voice broke through it._

" _So, I finally get to meet you, Roy Mustang."_

 _He whipped around and saw a woman that hadn't been there before. She had brown hair that was pulled over her shoulder. She looked beautiful and had a motherly aura around her._

" _Do I know you?" he asked, feeling something familiar about her._

" _You don't, but I know you." she responded._

" _How?"_

" _How could I not? You're the one that's been looking after my boys, after all."_

 _He nearly froze from shock. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it quickly when nothing came out. The woman laughed and approached him._

" _I guess I should formally introduce myself," she said as she extended her hand, "I'm Trisha Elric."_

 _He couldn't get himself to shake her hand. All of the emotions that had been evading him thus far flooded through his mind. He didn't want to face her. He had failed her boys. He wanted to disappear, but he couldn't get himself to turn away. She seemed to sense his hesitation and she retracted her hand._

" _I'm...I'm sorry," he managed._

 _Trisha cocked her head to the side._

" _What for?"_

" _I've failed Edward," he began, tears welling up in his eyes, "I didn't protect him in Kanon. I let him get taken to Drachma, and I'm not protecting him now. I promised Al I would look out for his brother, and now I've failed him too. How can you even stand to face me?"_

 _Trisha gave him a sad smile._

" _Roy, I know you've watched out for both of my boys since the second Edward joined the military. I hate seeing my Edward go through so much, but I also know that if there was any possible way you could spare him the pain and protect him, you would do it. There's nothing you could have done. This situation is out of your control, and I know you know that."_

 _He looked down. He couldn't exactly deny her words, but part of him still didn't believe her. He looked up when he felt her hand on his shoulder._

" _Don't blame yourself, Roy. You've given my boys everything since I've been gone. You gave them hope. Your team has given them a family. You're going to give them a bright future. You're going to give them a country they can freely live in without a corrupt military."_

"Colonel!"

" _Everything's going to be okay. You and Ed are going to get out. He'll be okay, and you're going to be okay."_

"Colonel!"

 _She backed away from him. Her image was starting to fade, but not completely before he heard her last words for him._

" _I couldn't have asked for a better man to raise my boys."_

"Colonel, you have to wake up now!"

Mustang jolted awake and was stunned at who was shaking him awake.

"Isabel?"

He realized he wasn't gagged anymore. He looked around and saw the handcuffs and rope binding his legs in a pile next to him. Isabel quickly grabbed his arms and helped him to his feet.

"We don't have a whole lot of time. Luka's with Ed. We have to get you two out, now!"

 **Well there you have it! There's the eighth chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed it! Again, sorry this took so long. I had to write and rewrite parts numerous times until I was happy with it. Also, sorry for the increased number of breaks in this chapter. I just wanted to make sure no one was confused as to who's point of view it was. Anyways, until next time!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello once again! I am back with another chapter! Thank you all for the response to the last one! I was a little nervous about it, but I'm glad you all seemed to enjoy it! Anyways, on with the story!**

 **I still do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

Mustang shook his head, trying to clear the slight haze he was still feeling from the hallucinogen. He had to snap out of it. Isabel motioned for him to wait as she peered through the tent flap. He wasn't quite sure what he was expecting, but the explosion that nearly sent him sprawling back on the ground didn't make that list.

"Let's go!" Isabel roared over the commotion in the Drachman camp.

The Colonel followed her out of the tent. There was so much light that he thought it might have been the middle of the day. As his head cleared a bit more, he realized that flames were illuminating the camp. He wasn't sure where Isabel was leading him, but he had to trust her. Surprisingly, he didn't seem to have any trouble keeping up with her.

A bullet whizzed by his head, missing him by mere centimeters. Without hesitation, Isabel spun around and fired three shots. Looking over his shoulder, Mustang could see three Drachmans lying on the ground, unmoving. He smirked to himself. Shooting with that kind of accuracy would have made Hawkeye proud. The two kept running toward the cover of the trees near the camp. They didn't stop until they felt the ground shaking under them, causing them to fall.

They stared in awe as a massive wall rose around the Drachman camp. Pride welled up within the Colonel as he knew Ed was the only one that had the skill to do such a thing. He felt Isabel yank on his arm.

"We have to keep going!"

Mustang followed her, right on her heels. They ran through the trees until they couldn't see the smoke coming from the Drachman camp, leaving them with the moon as their only source of light. Initially, he was confused as to why they stopped. His confusion dissipated when he heard Luka's voice.

"Isabel?"

"We're over here!" she yelled back.

The Colonel tensed when he heard rustling coming from their left, but relaxed when he saw Luka carrying Ed on his back. The young alchemist looked absolutely exhausted. He realized that the transmutation must have drained all of the energy that Ed had and couldn't afford to lose. Luka slid him off his back, motioning to Isabel. She handed him the backpack she had been carrying.

Ed looked dead on his feet. Luckily, Mustang caught him before he could fully collapse. The Colonel slowly lowered him, adjusting Ed so his upper body was in his lap. Luka was at the teen's side in an instant.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't get a chance to bandage his wounds yet. He bought us some time with the wall, but that won't hold them for too long. We have to keep moving north."

The Colonel simply nodded. He wanted to vomit when the young medic lifted Ed's shirt and revealed the carving that was now oozing blood. Luka made fast work of applying antiseptic and bandaging the bloody mess that was Ed's stomach. What Mustang hadn't expected was for Luka to turn the kid's head, revealing teeth marks on the boy's neck. His blood ran cold and his thoughts fled to the worst possible conclusion.

"Oh, Ed," Mustang whispered. "Did he…."

Ed shook his head.

"He had to leave before he got the chance," he explained as Luka cleaned and bandaged that wound up.

Mustang let out the breath he didn't know he had been holding and pulled Ed into a quick hug before helping the kid to his feet.

"We need to keep moving," Isabel urged as she marched by them, leading them further into the night.

"We also need to be careful," Luka added, "General Raven knew that most of the Drachmans heading north would have to travel by foot, so he sent some of his men out ahead of the rest of the soldiers to set out landmines along the path from Central to North City. We don't want to accidentally set any of them off."

"Isn't that a bit dangerous?" Ed asked as he stumbled along, having a little bit of difficulty keeping up.

"From what I heard, all of the northern towns have been evacuated and General Grumman is giving those people shelter in East City, so no innocent civilians should get hurt," Isabel explained.

The four were silent as they continued to carefully make their way through the cover of the trees. Night soon turned to day, and they kept going. Since they could see better in the daylight, they picked up their already fast pace. Daylight also meant the Drachmans would have an easier time finding them. Considering how hurt Ed was, both the Colonel and Luka had offered to carry him, but he had declined, knowing that his weight would wear them down. Mustang could tell Ed was struggling to keep up, but was pushing himself anyway and not complaining. He couldn't help but be proud of his kid.

They paused for a moment when they came to a large clearing. The grass nearly came up to Ed's knees, making it more difficult to determine if there were any landmines in the area. They could see the treeline across the clearing, but it was still a few hundred meters away. While that didn't sound too far, they had absolutely no cover. None of them liked that idea, considering that the Drachmans could easily spot them out there.

All four of them turned back to the trees with wide eyes when they heard footsteps and shouts behind them. From the sound of it, the Drachmans were still far away, but they were still too close for their comfort.

"Run!" Luka hissed under his breath, the first words any of them had spoken in hours.

None of them hesitated in obeying Luka's order. Trying to be as careful as they could, they sprinted through the grass. They were just over half-way through the clearing when time seemed to stop for the young medic. He watched in horror as Ed ran straight toward a landmine, obviously oblivious to its presence. There was no time to give the teen a warning, so he shoved Ed out of the way. He stumbled but didn't let himself fall to the ground like the young alchemist had. He couldn't.

Everything moved in slow motion for Isabel. She saw Ed nearly step on the landmine and she saw her brother shove him out of the way, accidentally stepping on it when he stumbled. She saw him freeze, realizing his fate.

Mustang stopped to help Ed back up and keep him moving. He looked back when he noticed that Luka and Isabel weren't with him and Ed. He saw Luka just standing there, making no move to keep going. Isabel stood there too. He was about to yell at them to keep going until Isabel's gaze shifted to him for a brief second. The look on her face was all he needed to see. Ed seemed to realize it too.

"Luka," Ed whispered as he walked back over to the siblings, Mustang unconsciously following him.

The young medic carefully shifted his weight to make sure he wouldn't fall, but also didn't set off the landmine. He stared at his sister with sorrow-filled eyes. The footsteps and shouts of the Drachmans were getting closer.

"Colonel," he spoke up, "Please take care of Isabel."

"Not a chance, Luka. I'm not leaving you."

Mustang stepped forward.

"Isabel-" the Colonel started, but she interrupted him.

"I'm sorry, Colonel, but I'm not going with you. I can't. My brother is the only family I have left. You have to understand that."

Neither Mustang nor Ed could say anything to that. She was right. Luka looked like he wanted to argue with her, but knew they didn't have the time and it would be pointless. Isabel was stubborn, so there wasn't anything they could say to change her mind.

Luka, Isabel, and Ava had all left Drachma to come to Amestris because they did what they believed was right. They left their home, knowing they wouldn't be able to return. They sacrificed everything. Ava gave up her life while trying to save innocent civilians during the attack on Central. The Colonel wanted to try to reason with Isabel, but also felt like he had no right to. If she wanted to stay with her brother, who was he to make her leave? He looked to Luka, silently asking him what he wanted him to do.

"She's not going to go with you," Luka conceded with a sigh, "Even physical force won't make her. Don't even bother, Colonel."

Mustang solemnly nodded, wanting to respect their wishes. Isabel looked satisfied that her brother had accepted her decision. She took off the backpack she was carrying and handed it to Mustang.

"There's enough food and water that should last you two a few days. There's a gun and bullets in there as well."

"There's also more bandages and some pain relievers for Ed in there," Luka piped up, "You two should be fine until you make it to the closest town. There won't be anyone there, but you two should be able to restock your supplies."

There was a moment of silence between the siblings and the alchemists. They all knew that this was goodbye, but none of them wanted to acknowledge that. To the two Amestrians, this didn't seem possible. Luka and Isabel were two wonderful people. They should never have been in this situation, but that was war.

The footsteps were getting closer.

"I'm so sorry," Ed said, tears welling in his eyes and running down his cheeks.

"Don't be, Edward," Luka responded with a sad smile, "You shouldn't be. In my opinion, we got to fight on the right side of this war in the end. Knowing that, I'm okay with my fate."

Isabel nodded in agreement before speaking.

"You two need to leave. We're going to take as many of them as we can out with us."

Mustang took a few shaky breaths as he grabbed his subordinate by the shoulders, getting ready to lead him away.

"Luka, Isabel, you two are some of the bravest people I have ever met. You did what was right despite the orders you were given, something I was too much of a coward to do. It has been an honor knowing you both."

Luka gave him a knowing smirk and glanced at his sister.

"You're not a coward, Roy Mustang. Everyone that truly knows you can see that you're trying to make up for whatever mistakes you think you made. I think I speak for both Isabel and myself when I ask that our dying wish be that you do whatever it takes to become Fuhrer and lead Amestris on a more righteous path." He glanced toward the trees as the voices were getting louder. "You two don't have much time. Go!"

The Colonel couldn't do anything but nod as he and Ed turned and ran across the rest of the clearing and took cover in the trees. The siblings watched them until they were out of sight.

"Both of them are going to do great things," Isabel mumbled.

"I know," Luka whispered with a smile, "If we can even just buy them a little time, it will all be worth it."

Isabel unholstered her gun, waiting for the Drachmans to arrive. The second one broke through the treeline, she fired and she didn't miss. Ridding her gun of the rest of its bullets, she succeeded in killing eight of the approaching Drachmans. Dropping her gun, she grasped Luka's hand, awaiting their fate.

"I love you," she said under her breath.

"I love you, too."

Weapons raised, the rest of the Drachmans approached them. Sadly, there weren't quite as many as Luka was hoping for. They must have split into groups to search for the escaped alchemists. Despite this, he and Isabel would still cause a setback for their old military.

"Hold your fire!" a familiar voice yelled.

Their former associates slowed as they approached them. Vincent emerged from the small army.

"Luka and Isabel, it's so good to see you again! Although, the circumstances could be better."

Neither one of the siblings chose to respond to the deranged man.

"I have to say that I've really missed you, Luka," Vincent continued, "We still have a use for you. You're too brilliant to just kill off. I'm afraid the same can't be said for Isabel. We have enough snipers in our military."

He motioned to the man next to him. A shot rang through the air, hitting Isabel right between her eyes. Luka's heart crushed as he felt his sister's hand slip from his own. He stared down at her lifeless body as blood trickled down her nose then her cheeks. He choked back a sob. She looked as if she had been crying blood.

"If there's any upside, Isabel and Ava are reunited now," Vincent commented with his infuriating smile.

Rage surged through the young medic's veins. His first instinct was to attack his former superior, but he couldn't. None of the Drachmans were within range yet. His time would come.

"I'm disappointed in you for leaving us, Luka. However, I think I can forgive you. I know you know where Colonel Mustang and Major Elric went. If you can help us find them and work for us again, consider your betrayal forgotten."

Vincent stayed back and watched as his men converged on his former medic and researcher, relishing in the thought of Luka being under his command yet again. He didn't expect the explosion that propelled him backward. He coughed as the debris settled.

There was no sign of Luka or any of the men that tried to apprehend him. He shakily got to his feet, realizing that he was completely alone aside from the partial corpses of the men that hadn't been close enough to the explosion for it to completely obliterate their bodies.

 ***break***

Ed almost fell to his knees when he heard the explosion. Luka and Isabel were dead. The only thing stopping him was Mustang grabbing his arms and urging him forward.

"Ed, we have to keep going."

In reality, Mustang was frustrated. He felt at fault for Luka and Isabel's deaths, and he knew the teen was probably feeling the same way. He was angry that someone as young as Ed had to experience this. He felt sorry for Ed because he didn't even have time to properly grieve for Luka. They had to keep moving. Otherwise, his and Isabel's sacrifice was for nothing.

Ed furiously wiped his eyes. He knew his commanding officer was right. The two were silent as they quickly but carefully marched north. The Colonel debated asking Ed if he wanted to talk, but knew that would be pointless. He already knew what the answer would be. Besides, talking would just waste more energy that Ed didn't have.

All too quickly, the sun was starting to set. Even though they only stopped for a few minutes to get water and eat, both of them felt as if they weren't moving fast enough.

Both alchemists were depressed when they laid their eyes on the small town before them as they emerged from the cover of the trees. They knew they couldn't stop to rest here. That's exactly what the Drachmans would expect them to do. All they really had time for was restocking their food and water supply and redressing Ed's wounds, which he allowed Mustang to do without any protest, much to his surprise. As he changed the bandages on Ed's stomach, he could only stare at his kid in astonishment. Blood had soaked through the previous bandages because the carving wasn't even getting a chance to heal with their constant movement. He couldn't imagine how much each and every step must have hurt the young alchemist, and the teen never once voiced any complaint.

The Colonel debated calling the forces in North City. That seemed logical, considering that was where all of the soldiers had been deployed. After finding a map, he discovered that there was only one more town between their location and North City. He could arrange to have his team meet them there. However, he figured the Drachmans would have all of the phone lines tapped in this area for that very reason. He wasn't exactly keen on the idea of giving away his and Ed's location. Aside from that, he wouldn't want to risk any of his men, or any of the Amestrian soldiers at all for that matter, running into the landmines General Raven's men had laid out. He and Ed had already avoided four of them after the incident with Luka and Isabel, and those were only the ones on they saw on their path. He didn't even want to think about how many more were out there.

He looked to the exhausted teen. He wanted nothing more than for Ed to rest then and there, especially since he looked like he could drop dead at any second. However, luck was not on their side. He approached Ed and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"We need to go a little further. Then you can rest, I promise."

Ed nodded and followed Mustang through the small town and back into the cover of the trees. They moved quite a bit slower, considering how dark it was now. After a couple of hours, the Colonel decided that they could rest. They found the perfect cluster of trees and bushes that they could hide in. If any of the Drachmans caught up to them, they would have no idea that they were there.

"I'll keep watch," Mustang said as he settled against one of the trees, motioning for Ed to join him, "You just sleep."

Despite the long day, the Colonel had no desire to sleep. While in the Drachman camp, he had been drugged, and he had the feeling that his subordinate wasn't quite as lucky. Ed didn't bother arguing. He was too exhausted. He sat down next to his superior, who then pulled him down so his head was resting in his lap. The second his head hit the man's legs, he fell asleep.

The Colonel stroked Ed's hair as he slept. He couldn't help but be grateful that they were farther north than he had originally thought. It should only take them another day by foot to reach North City, that is if they didn't run into any more complications and they walked through the next night. Just another day until he was reunited with his team. Just another day until, hopefully, his kid could rest properly. The fact that they had the cover of the forest until a few miles before they reached North City made him feel better. The trees provided them with places to hide should the need ever arise.

His thoughts flickered to Luka and Isabel. He knew Ed had to be taking their deaths hard. He was too. He wished they could have had a proper goodbye with the siblings, but there hadn't been time.

He was brought out of his thoughts when Ed stirred. He realized the teen must have been having a nightmare.

"Vincent...please stop...I don't want this…." he mumbled in his sleep.

He didn't care if he accidentally woke the kid up. Wrapping his arms around Ed, he pulled him into a hug and rested his head on Ed's.

"It's okay, Edward. I'm here. I'll protect you. He won't hurt you again."

He whispered this over and over again in Ed's ear as he slept. It seemed to calm the young alchemist, considering he never actually woke up. Despite the uncomfortable position he was in and the fact that the sun was starting to rise, Mustang found himself nearly drifting off to sleep.

The snapping of a twig jolted him out of that state quite quickly. He glanced down on Ed. The noise didn't disturb him in the slightest. He heard footsteps.

"Do you think we should turn back? There's no way they could have made it this far, especially if General Antonov tortured that kid like he did."

Drachmans.

"Considering the General ordered us to search out here, no. I don't really want to face him after disobeying one of his orders."

From the sounds of it, there were only a couple of them. He guessed Vincent had sent some of his men out to search for him and Ed. Based on the footsteps he heard, there had to be three of them at most. He was well aware how much Vincent wanted him and Ed, so if he sent out this few men, even just in this area, the explosion at the camp and Luka and Isabel's sacrifice must have really done a number on the Drachman army.

Despite that small victory, Mustang was aware of the problem he and Ed were now facing. Even though there were only a few of them, Ed wasn't in any condition to be fighting right now. He would have to take care of them if he wanted to make sure his son would be as safe as possible, given their circumstances.

Carefully, he got Ed off him and laid him gently on the ground. He took off his jacket and draped it over the sleeping alchemist, who was still oblivious to the nearby threat. He grabbed the gun Isabel had given him. With the stealth that would have surprised his entire team, he hauled himself up one of the trees. He glanced down on Ed one last time. He didn't even budge, continuing to rest in their hiding spot. As quietly as he could, he climbed up to a higher branch.

He saw that he had been right. There were only three Drachmans. They looked like they were splitting up. One of them was headed straight for him. He didn't seem to be aware of the Colonel's presence. When the Drachman was right below him, he made his move.

He jumped down, landing on the Drachman's back. Before the man could even react, Mustang snapped his neck, killing him instantly. He bolted away from his and Ed's hiding spot. He ducked behind a tree when he heard footsteps near him. Peering out from behind the tree, he saw another Drachman just feet away. As soon as the man's back was turned, the Colonel raised the gun, firing three shots. He wasn't a bad shot, but he didn't have the accuracy like Hawkeye or Isabel. He had to make sure the Drachman didn't have a chance to retaliate.

Before he could react, he was tackled to the ground, and the gun flew out of his hands as he and the last Drachman tumbled through the trees.

 ***break***

Ed's eyes cracked open. Were those gunshots he had heard? He tried to open his eyes more, but he was too exhausted. What he wasn't too tired to realize was that he wasn't lying on Mustang anymore. His body protested it, but he started to get up.

"Go back to sleep," a voice whispered soothingly to him.

He settled back down, blinking to try to clear his vision. Mustang wasn't there, but he wasn't alone. A woman with long brown hair was sitting beside him. He had to be dreaming. She couldn't be here.

"Mom?"

Although his vision was blurry, he could have sworn he saw her smile.

"It's okay. Your dad's protecting you. Just go back to sleep."

He felt compelled to listen to her, so he did. Whether this was a dream or an exhaustion-induced hallucination, her presence and words gave him more comfort than he had felt since she had passed away.

 ***break***

Mustang grappled for dominance with the Drachman. He wound up on the ground with the Drachman straddling him with his hands around his throat. He guessed the man must have lost his own weapon in the scuffle, otherwise he was sure he would be dead by now. Instinctively, he clawed at the hands strangling him.

He turned his head slightly, his eyes landing on a stick that was barely within his reach. It wasn't much, but he didn't exactly have many options. Mustering up as much energy as he could, he flipped his attacker over and grabbed the stick. He drove it straight through the Drachman's heart.

The man's unmoving eyes bore into him as he caught his breath. He got up, rubbing his sore throat. He stared at the corpse before him, as if he didn't actually believe the Drachman was dead. He slowly walked back to find the gun he had lost, then made his way back to Ed.

He settled himself back down against the tree, pulling the young alchemist back in his lap. It couldn't hurt to let the kid sleep a little more. Unconsciously, Ed curled closer to his chest.

"Thanks, dad."

He had to be imagining things. Even with their relationship changing, there was no way Edward Elric would ever say those words out loud to him. He shook his head, but couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips.

 ***the next day***

Lieutenant Colonel Hughes and Mustang's team sat together, glaring at the various colonels and generals that walked by them. Colonel Mustang and Major Elric had been officially missing for two days. When they first discovered the missing car, they stopped the train immediately. They found the train car along with the supplies, but neither Ed nor the Colonel were anywhere to be found. After searching the surrounding area, none of the soldiers had seen a sign of the two alchemists or where they could have been taken.

Mustang's team was adamant about continuing the search. They would journey to North City by foot if they had to. However, Basque Grand had other ideas. He ordered for all of the soldiers to board the train and continue on to North City, saying that even if they found the missing alchemists, it was probably a trap.

Initially, Mustang's team had resisted. All of them were practically dragged back to the train. It took three soldiers to carry Hawkeye and get her on the train due to the fight she was giving them. Ever since then, they all had been under close supervision. None of the generals and colonels wanted to risk any soldiers going out and searching for Flame and Fullmetal.

The situation had been extremely frustrating for all of them. In Kanon, they were at least able to search for their missing comrades. Now, they weren't even allowed to do that. Havoc had tried standing up to General Grand, but got a black eye as a result. They couldn't do anything but wait, and they didn't even know what they were waiting for. Any word about the two alchemists? For the Drachmans to show up and for the battle to officially begin? None of them knew what to expect.

If there was any upside, Mustang's team had been stationed at the southern entrance of the city. The treeline of a forest was visible in the distance, but other than that, it was flat and even ground. If the Drachmans were coming, they would be able to see them immediately. Since being stationed there, no one had seen anything, so everyone was surprised when two lone figures appeared in the distance.

Hope fluttered within each member of the Colonel's team.

"Do you think it's them?" Fuery asked aloud.

They waited a little bit longer. Even though they were still far away, there was no mistaking the Amestrian blue and the red blurs coming their direction. Before any of the colonels or generals could give them any sort of orders, they bolted toward their comrades. It didn't seem like they could run fast enough.

"Roy! Ed!" Hughes yelled when they were within hearing distance.

They were close enough to see Ed clutching his stomach, leaning heavily on the Colonel. Mustang looked up, finally acknowledging them. They saw his relieved smile just before he collapsed.

 **And there's the ninth chapter! I hope you all liked it! I definitely enjoyed writing the badass Mustang protecting his kid.**

 **However, I feel like I have to address it. Rest in peace, Luka and Isabel. I loved writing Luka so much, but I feel like this was the best end for him. He and Isabel did not die in vain, and Vincent will surely pay for all of the pain he's caused everyone.**

 **Anyways, I just moved back to college and classes start soon. I'll try to update next weekend, but we will have to see. Until next time!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Well hello, everyone! Classes are back in full swing, but I've managed to find some time to write this little chapter here! It's probably a good thing that I only planned a couple more chapters for this story. Anyways, thank you all so much for the response to this story thus far. You guys have no idea how much your comments and messages mean to me and inspire me to keep going. Y'all are freakin' awesome!**

 **Anyways, on with the story!**

 **As usual, I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

The Colonel heard footsteps, but he didn't feel afraid. He just kept going. He supported nearly all of Ed's weight, but he tried not to let it slow him down.

"Roy! Ed!"

Was someone calling out to him? He honestly wasn't sure. He lifted his head, and it took much more effort than he was willing to admit. It had to be a dream, or maybe a hallucination, but there was a part of him that dared to hope he was actually seeing his best friend running toward him, along with the rest of his men. He couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face. He certainly hoped that this wasn't a dream.

His legs were shaking to the point he couldn't move them anymore. He collapsed, taking his subordinate with him.

"Colonel!" Ed gasped, trying not to fall into the unconsciousness that was practically calling to him.

The teen was extremely concerned for his commanding officer. The man had been so strong during their entire journey. He had been stubborn, not even daring to rest, but even he would eventually succumb to his exhaustion. Mustang's eyes were still open, but he looked completely incoherent. He was brought back to reality when he felt Ed being pulled away from him.

"No...Edward…." he slurred.

He tried to reach out for his kid, but a hand on his arm stopped him. He looked up to see Hughes kneeling by his side.

"It's okay, Roy," he said, sensing his best friend's concern, "Ed's going to be fine, and so are you."

This couldn't be a dream. It couldn't be possible to even dream of being this tired. He was about to let his eyes close when Hughes grabbed his face, trying to keep him awake.

"I'm really sorry, Roy, but we need information. Are the Drachmans close behind you?"

Mustang could barely comprehend the question. He wasn't entirely sure, but he decided to nod. That probably wasn't a lie. The camp had been a lot farther north than he had anticipated. Considering the run in with the three Drachmans the previous day, it was pretty safe to say the rest couldn't have been too far behind.

"Do you have any serious injuries we need to know about?"

Was that Havoc? Probably. It didn't sound like Hughes.

"Ed…." was all the Colonel could say.

Aside from some minor scrapes and bruises, he really didn't have any injuries that he could remember. Although, he couldn't remember too much at this point. Unconsciousness was coming to claim him soon, whether he wanted it to or not.

"Havoc, help him get on my back. We need to get them both to the city."

He blinked wearily as Havoc got the backpack off him and lifted him up, helping him wrap his arms around his best friend's neck. Hughes grabbed his legs and stood up. His eyes were slowly starting to close, but he looked around to find Ed. He had to know the kid was being taken care of.

"Where's...Ed?" he managed to ask.

"I've got him, Boss."

He looked toward the sound of Breda's voice. He was holding a barely conscious Ed in his arms bridal style, as not to irritate the wounds on his stomach. It felt as if a massive weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He let his head fall on Hughes' shoulder, finally allowing the sleep he desperately needed to claim him. His best friend's voice lulled him into the awaiting darkness.

"Ed's safe, Roy. You've done your job. You can rest, now."

The next time he opened his eyes, he didn't recognize his environment at all. It was relatively dark, with reddish-orange sunlight peeking through the curtain on the lone window in the room. He blinked a few times, his eyes trying to adjust. Based on how comfortable he was, he realized he was lying on a bed. Considering he was half-lying and half-sitting, he guessed he was in a hospital bed, but it didn't look like he was in a hospital. He felt something shift next to him. Glancing down, he saw his arm was wrapped around Ed, who was curled up next to his side. He let out a content sigh and pulled the sleeping teen closer to him.

"Are you with us, Roy?"

Hughes and Hawkeye were by his bedside, both looking concerned yet relieved. He tried to carefully sit up so he wouldn't wake Ed, but his body had other ideas. He tried to recall a time that he had ever been so sore, but he couldn't. That was to be expected considering he had never been on the run for almost three days straight, taking almost no time to rest except for those couple of hours to let Ed sleep. He groaned in pain when he attempted to move, or let out a noise that was supposed to be a groan. His voice was raspy, and that's when he noticed how dry his throat was.

Hawkeye held out a glass of water for him, not even needing to be asked. Nodding in thanks, the Colonel took the glass and had to restrain himself from drinking it all in one gulp. He cleared his throat.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"We're in the infirmary we set up for the south side of the city. I believe this building used to be an inn before it was abandoned. Before North City was evacuated, some of the staff from the city's hospital moved some of the beds and supplies here for us to set up an infirmary."

He was about to ask another question when Ed stirred next to him. All three military officers couldn't help but be relieved that he didn't actually wake up, but just seemed to shiver a bit. Hawkeye grabbed an extra blanket and Mustang helped her cover the young alchemist.

The Colonel couldn't help but smile down on Ed. While he was still tired, he was happy to wake up as long as his kid was next to him, safe and sound.

"You woke up earlier this morning while Falman and I were watching over you," Hawkeye said, interrupting his thoughts, "You were only awake for a couple of minutes, so you probably don't even remember. Ed was in the next room with Breda, but you refused to go back to sleep until Falman and Breda brought him in here so you could make sure he was okay."

Mustang must have been completely out of it when that happened because he didn't remember that at all. However, it did sound like something he would do, not that he thought his First Lieutenant was lying to him about that.

His head snapped toward his comrades when he processed what Hawkeye had first said.

"What do you mean this morning?"

How long had he been asleep? It couldn't have been that long, considering how exhausted he still was. He glanced at the window again. The sun was setting now. Hughes seemed to sense his confusion.

"You and Ed arrived yesterday afternoon. You've been sleeping ever since, except for those couple of minutes you were awake. According to Hawkeye, Ed woke up when Falman and Breda carried him in here. He wasn't too happy about that, at first, but that didn't last long. He fell asleep almost the minute they set him down on the bed."

The Colonel chuckled softly. He kind of felt bad for the Warrant Officer and Second Lieutenant. He wouldn't like to face the kid if he interrupted his sleep, unless it was absolutely necessary.

"How's his stomach?" Mustang asked next.

"One of the medics stitched him up," Hughes said, his mouth setting into a grim line, "He also had to disinfect the bite mark on his neck. Did Vincent…."

The Lieutenant Colonel didn't need to finish the question. Much like Mustang first had, he jumped to the worst possible conclusion. An uncomfortable silence filled the room until Mustang answered him.

"From what Ed told me, no."

He could visibly see the other two officers' tension release. For a second, Hughes almost looked angry. After sharing a look with Hawkeye, he sighed.

"We heard from Central Command that there was a prison break right after we were sent here. All of the Drachman prisoners were released, as you probably figured out. Luka and Isabel went missing around the same time, and a couple of our bombs from our armory were stolen. I hate to think of it, but they were probably undercover the entire time. It might have been a mistake to trust them."

Rage coursed through the Colonel, and he had to keep himself from yelling at his best friend. Of course, the man didn't know. To be completely fair, what other conclusions would any other Amestrian soldier draw?

Mustang then realized the true bravery of Luka and Isabel. They broke into Central Command's armory, which was no easy feat, and left to hunt him and Ed down alone. Luka, Ava, and Isabel were the true heroes of this war, and he was going to make sure everyone knew that.

"Trusting them was no mistake," he began, "Luka and Isabel stole those bombs so they could destroy as much of the Drachman camp as they could and to help Ed and I escape the night we were captured. Luka saved Ed from stepping on a landmine, even though it cost him his life. Isabel stayed with him to take out as many Drachmans as she could before she died along with her brother. Forget any ideas you have about them having anything to do with the prison break or our capture. They sacrificed more than any of us, and they are always going to be remembered for that. Do I make myself clear?"

The two managed to nod, but were obviously in shock at the information the Colonel just gave them.

Hawkeye had several emotions combatting within her. On one hand, she was grieving for Isabel's death. On the other, she was relieved that her previous suspicions of Isabel were wrong. The most dominant feeling being honored to have been friends with one of the bravest women she had ever known.

Both officers were glad to know that Ed and Roy hadn't been in the Drachman camp for very long. However, they understood that they were in debt Luka and Isabel for that. A debt they would never have the chance to repay.

The three of them were silent, remembering their fallen friends. That silence was broken all too soon. Several yells could be heard just outside of the building.

"Lieutenant Colonel Hughes! Lieutenant Hawkeye! You both need to come see this!" Fuery yelled as he ran into the room.

He froze when he saw the Colonel was awake. Even if he hadn't been, who could have slept with all that racket? That point was proven when Ed finally opened his eyes.

"What's happening?" he asked, still half-asleep.

Fuery motioned for everyone to follow him. Despite his body's protests, Mustang swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. Ed followed soon after with the Lieutenant Colonel's help. He wrapped a blanket around the young alchemist, and they all followed Fuery outside.

"Good to see you two are finally awake," Havoc greeted as they joined the rest of the team.

All of the soldiers were staring off at the billows of smoke in the distance. If Mustang had to guess, it was coming from the last town he and Ed had passed through before reaching North City.

"They're not far," the Colonel muttered.

"Why are they burning that town?" Ed couldn't help but ask.

"The Drachmans could be looking for you two," Hughes answered, "They probably didn't expect you two to make it this far north on your own, especially with the condition Ed was in. If you two were taking shelter there, that would certainly be a way to get you out. Or, they could have been given the orders to destroy everything in their path. Perhaps both."

Mustang glanced at Ed, noticing the disturbed look on the teen's face. Ed was far too young to be witnessing this, but life also wasn't fair for the Elric brothers in any way.

"At least the town had been evacuated," he mumbled under his breath.

If there was any upside to their situation, that was it. Evacuating the civilians to East City had been smart planning on General Raven and General Grumman's part. At least no innocent civilians would be in the Drachman army's path.

The Colonel was brought out of his thoughts when Hughes put a hand on his back.

"We should get you back inside. The Drachmans will be here soon. You need to rest as much as you can before they arrive. We're going to need everyone's help if we're going to stop them."

Mustang couldn't deny that. Neither he nor Ed protested when they were led back inside. Ed initially passed by the Colonel's room, heading toward what must have been the room he was originally resting in before Mustang summoned him. He was stopped when Mustang grabbed his shoulders and steered him toward his room. The teen perked his head up, curiously.

"I won't be able to sleep unless I know you're okay, and I won't know that for sure unless you're with me. You're staying in my room."

Ed didn't bother arguing. In reality, he was grateful. Right now, he would much rather sleep by Mustang's side than alone.

The Colonel was relieved that Ed didn't protest. Considering how sore he was, he would rather not move more than he absolutely had to. If he woke up in the middle of the night, he wouldn't have to move to check on Ed. Having his kid with him would help him fall asleep faster anyway.

Both alchemists practically crashed on the bed. Hughes couldn't help but smile as Mustang allowed Ed to lay his head on his chest. He was about to say something, but the two seemed to read his mind.

"Shut it, Hughes," they simultaneously snapped, but it lacked any real heat behind it.

This only made the smile on the Lieutenant Colonel's face grow. The two seemed to finally be accepting the fact that they were family.

 ***the next morning***

Mustang was surprised that he found himself waking up on his own. He had fully expected to wake up to the sound gunfire or explosions. He certainly wasn't going to complain about that. What made him nearly panic was when he felt the lack of warmth on his chest, meaning Ed wasn't with him.

"Edward!" he gasped as he bolted upright.

"Relax, Colonel," came a voice from his right, "I'm still here."

Sure enough, Ed was sitting in one of the chairs next to his bed. The kid was wearing a long, white coat over his black tank top. It reminded the him of the coats the soldiers wore in Ishval.

"I'm assuming no sign of the Drachmans?" he asked, running a hand through his raven hair.

Ed nodded.

"Not yet, but there will be soon, if I had to guess." He tossed Mustang a white coat along with his military jacket. "We were given orders to report to General Grand when you woke up."

Mustang sighed as he got up and put the jacket and coat on. He was relieved to feel a pair of ignition gloves in the pockets of his jacket. He assumed that was Hawkeye's doing. The two alchemists exited the infirmary and walked the short distance to the south entrance of the city. The rest of the team was waiting for them, along with General Grand.

"Colonel Mustang, Major Elric, I need to brief you two on-" the General started, but was interrupted by another soldier.

"Is anyone else seeing this?"

The soldier pointed up to the sky. Everyone tried to see what he was talking about. At first, no one seemed to see anything. However, as they looked a little harder, they could see a small silver box floating in the air. Once they saw the box, they could see the almost-transparent parachute carrying the small object.

"What the hell is that?" Grand wondered aloud.

They didn't have to wait long for an answer when the box touched one of the nearby buildings, and they all were temporarily blind as a flash assaulted their vision. Alarmed yells arose from many of the soldiers as they were propelled forward from the force of the explosion. Mustang quickly got to his feet, as did the rest of his men.

Much to their horror, more of these parachutes were floating toward the city.

"Major Elric!" General Grand barked, "Can you transmute a wall in front of us?"

Ed nodded, then ran forward.

"Make it as high as you possibly can!" the General called after him.

Ed didn't need to be told twice. He clapped and slammed his hands on the ground. The soldiers had to steady themselves as the ground shook while the Fullmetal Alchemist performed the transmutation. Mustang and his men stared in awe as a wall shot up from the ground. They had seen Ed perform alchemy before, and it was always nothing short of impressive. However, they had never seen him do anything of this magnitude.

The Colonel could see Ed shaking slightly. It took everything within him to focus on the transmutation, taking all of the energy he had with him. The blue flashes of alchemy didn't stop until the wall was taller than the tallest building around them. Ed stood when the wall stopped rising, but started to sway almost immediately. Mustang and Havoc rushed over to catch Ed when he nearly collapsed, pulling him away from the massive wall.

They were just in time. The wall shook as the explosives made contact with it, causing bits of it to crumble with each explosion. The wall was quite impressive, taking the brunt of the attack. Although, it wasn't going to last much longer.

"Snipers, get in position!" Grand ordered.

Being the perfect soldier that she was, Hawkeye saluted and turned to leave with the rest of the snipers.

"Be careful, Lieutenant," Mustang couldn't help himself from saying.

She turned to her commanding officer, smirking at him.

"Same to you, sir."

With that, she ran off. The General turned to a few other soldiers that the Colonel didn't recognize.

"Contact our forces on the north side of the city. Tell them to get ready for anything that gets by us."

He then motioned for the rest to follow him into the city as the wall began crumbling faster and faster.

"Do whatever it takes to make sure they don't get out of this city!"

That was the last order before the soldiers disbanded.

"You're with us," Hughes said as he pulled Mustang and Ed along with his group, "Can you two climb to the top of one of these buildings?"

Mustang nodded. He slipped on his gloves as he and the teen ran to the tallest building they could see along their path while the others ran to their positions. It didn't take them long to climb on the roof. They made it just in time to see the remainders of the wall come crashing down. At first, they couldn't see anything but smoke and debris. That's when the gunshots rang through the air.

The Colonel ducked down on the rooftop, bringing Ed down with him. When they stopped, he hesitantly stood back up. He stared at the sight that awaited him with a mixture of horror and awe.

Drachmans flooded the entrance of North City with a line of tanks following them. Mustang didn't have time to wonder how they managed to sneak those into the country. He didn't even have time to snap before the Drachmans dispersed themselves throughout the seemingly infinite number of streets.

Getting over his initial shock, Mustang snapped, aiming toward a group of Drachmans heading their way. He could barely hear the roar of the army over the sound of the explosion he caused. When the smoke cleared, the Colonel realized he had missed.

"We need to get out of here!" Ed yelled as he saw the Drachmans approaching closer, having spotted them.

Mustang snapped again, then following Ed as he transmuted a bridge to get them to the next building. Thanks to Ed's alchemy they were able to run along the rooftops. As he looked back, he noticed that he managed to take out a few of the Drachmans along with a tank that had been heading their way. The others soon fell after a round of gunshots assaulted his hearing. Looking down, he could see the dead Drachmans below. It was safe to assume a sniper had taken them out. However, they couldn't celebrate for long.

More Drachmans took the place of their fallen comrades.

Both alchemists instinctively covered their ears as they heard another explosion much too close for their comfort. They stumbled as the building they had been running along shook and started to crumble. Ed managed to transmute one last bridge for them to cross, but it collapsed without either alchemist making it to the other side.

Mustang found his stomach lodged in his throat as the ground beneath him disappeared.

"Colonel!" Ed yelled as he grabbed Mustang's hand.

By some miracle, Ed was able to hold on to the edge of the next building's roof with his automail hand. Unfortunately, cracks were quickly forming in this building as well. Ed barely being able to hold Mustang's weight wasn't helping matters either.

"I can't hold on much longer!"

Trying to formulate some sort of plan, Mustang looked down, noticing a wood awning below them. It could definitely break their fall, and they could roll out of the way before they could get crushed by the rubble. It was going to hurt and it wasn't the most ideal plan, but they didn't have much of an option.

"Ed, you need to let go!"

The young alchemist looked at Mustang as if he had been speaking a foreign language. The kid's hesitation was obvious.

"You have to trust me!"

After a second of contemplation, Ed let go. While in the air, Mustang clutched Ed against him, positioning himself so Ed was on top of him. He let out a grunt of pain when he crashed through the awning and landed on his back. He could feel a few of his ribs crack, but he didn't care. Ignoring the pain coursing throughout his body, he maneuvered them out of the way of the collapsing building.

Ed shakily rose to his feet while the Colonel remained on his knees, an arm around his ribs. Over the pile of rubble, Ed could see the Drachmans still pursuing them. Glancing across the street, they could see Hughes along with group of Amestrian soldiers approaching through an alley, weapons at the ready. The Drachmans were completely oblivious to the Amestrians, focusing on what they deemed to be the biggest threat.

For the briefest second, Ed made eye contact with the Lieutenant Colonel. The man nodded to him. The teen didn't even need to think about what that meant. Clapping and slamming his hands against the rubble, Ed formed a barricade between him and the Drachmans.

Rapid gunfire rang through the air as the Amestrians annihilated them.

Ed let out a few shaky breaths before something came crashing down on his head. Black spots danced in his vision as two sets of hands grabbed his arms, keeping them apart.

"Take these two away! Kill everyone else!" an unfortunately familiar voice ordered.

Mustang stared, horrified, as Vincent and another Drachman held his subordinate in their grasp. He snapped at the Drachmans advancing on him, burning them to a crisp without hesitation. His cracked ribs and aching back protested as he staggered to his feet. The Drachman general and his subordinate were practically using Ed as a shield, knowing Mustang wouldn't burn them if it meant risking Ed's life.

Luckily for Mustang, this inner battle didn't last long because two shots rang out. One bullet went straight through the Drachmans brain, and he fell instantly. The other went through Vincent's shoulder, causing him to drop Ed.

Only one sniper could have done this. Only one sniper would know to leave Vincent for him. Only one sniper knew how much he desired this moment, and that was the Hawk's Eye.

The Colonel took a deep breath and snapped twice.

The first snap formed a wall of fire behind the Drachman general, preventing any of his men from racing to his aid. The second was aimed straight for the man himself.

Vincent's inhuman screams roared over the dying sounds of gunshots and explosions in the distance. Ed's eyes widened as he got to his feet. He almost couldn't help but watch as the flames consumed the deranged man. Mustang stumbled forward and pulled Ed to him, cupping the back of Ed's head so the kid's face was buried in his chest. His child had seen enough, he didn't need to see this too.

Vincent's agonizing wails got louder as he felt his skin melting and his blood boiling. At the horrific sound, Ed wrapped his arms around Mustang's waist. Despite the sharp pain coming from his ribs, the Colonel didn't make a sound, letting his son cling to him until the screams stopped.

There was a moment of silence, only interrupted by a stray gunshot here and there. Ed slowly pulled away, looking the Colonel in the eyes.

"Is he dead?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Mustang nodded.

"Is it over?"

Again, Mustang nodded.

"Yes, Edward, it's over."

Hesitantly, the teen turned around, looking at the charred remains of Vincent's corpse. It took everything the Colonel had in him not to stop Ed from turning around. As disturbing as it might be, he understood that it would probably take Ed seeing his tormentor's dead body to truly understand that the man couldn't hurt him again.

The two alchemists were soon joined by Hughes and the other soldiers defending the east side of the city. From their group, there were no casualties. They marched onward, ready to help the rest of their fellow Amestrians as they needed it. It didn't matter how much longer they had to fight, as it didn't matter how long they had been fighting already. Amestris was emerging from this war victorious.

 **And there's chapter ten! I hadn't actually planned on this story having the same number of chapters as "In His Own Hell." It just sort of happened that way, I guess. Anyways, I'm going to try and update the last chapter as soon as possible! Until then!**

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	11. Chapter 11

**I have no words right now.**

 **I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

 ***one week later***

"Brother!"

"Al!"

Mustang couldn't help but smile as he watched the two brothers reunite. Despite the flood of soldiers reuniting with their loved ones, no one could miss the suit of armor picking up his brother in a hug, spinning around in what could only be described as the purest form of joy.

There was only one good aspect to war, and that was seeing it end.

Husbands and wives embracing, fathers and mothers hugging their children, families becoming whole again were phenomenas that made everything they went through and fought for completely worth it.

However, there were always those soldiers that didn't make it home.

There were some casualties on the Amestrian side. During the Drachman invasion, there had been a struggle on the west side of North City. When Mustang's group arrived, they annihilated the Drachmans, but not before they suffered the loss of twenty-three soldiers.

Despite this loss, Mustang couldn't help but be relieved the death toll wasn't worse for them. Had Ed still been under the control of the Drachmans, he didn't even want to begin to imagine what would have happened, or what might have happened if he and Ed hadn't escaped the Drachman camp. In reality, Amestris was quite lucky.

After the initial invasion, the Amestrians interrogated the few Drachmans they captured and decided to keep alive for the time being. Corin had been one of them, and Mustang was all too happy to help with his interrogation.

He admitted that General Vincent Antonov never notified his superiors of his and Ed's escape from the camp, having full confidence that the Drachmans would either find them or beat them to North City. He was also probably afraid of what his superiors would have done to him for this mistake. Had Vincent's superiors known, they would have called off the invasion. They knew their army would have been fighting a losing battle. It was quite sad. One man's pride cost him his own life, his men's lives, and the war for Drachma.

"Daddy!"

Elicia ran as fast as her tiny legs would allow up to Hughes, who scooped her up into his arms. Gracia followed close behind her and embraced them.

Much to the Colonel's surprise, he didn't feel the slightest ounce of jealousy at the scene of the happy family before him. He had his own, after all. As if Al could read his mind, he soon found himself grabbed from behind in a bone-crushing hug and lifted off the ground.

"It's so good to see you, Colonel!"

He tried to hide the pain that was flaring through his ribs, not wanting to make the younger Elric feel bad. Although, if he were honest, he was just enjoying the fact he was getting a hug from Alphonse. He apparently wasn't able to stop a grimace from crossing his face.

"Al, put him down! His ribs are cracked!"

The suit of armor quickly set him on his feet when he heard Ed's words.

"I'm so sorry, Colonel!" Al apologized.

Mustang chuckled as he rubbed his sore ribs.

"It's quite all right, Al. It's good to see you too!"

Hawkeye approached him not a moment later with the three items he requested.

"I've already called the Rockbells," she notified. "They'll be expecting you."

The Colonel nodded in thanks, taking the tickets out of her hands. Before the Lieutenant turned to join the rest of the team, she gave him one of her rare smiles.

"Don't be afraid to stay for a little while, sir. I'm sure you could use a little bit of time off."

Mustang nearly jolted at her words. He never thought for a second that his First Lieutenant would ever say such a thing to him. Although, when he thought about it, it made sense. Given everything he had been through for the last five months, some time off might actually do him some good. He found himself seriously considering this proposition, but was brought out of his thoughts when another train pulled into the station. Putting his hands on Ed and Al's backs, he guided the two brothers to the newly arrived train.

"Edward, you need to properly rest. I'm taking you two back to Resembool to make sure that happens."

Ed didn't bother protesting. He knew it wouldn't do him any good. He still had wounds and injuries that never got the chance to completely heal from his time in Drachma. Maybe going back home would be the remedy he needed, both physically and emotionally. With a smile, he followed Mustang and Al onto the train.

 ***break***

The dark-orange light of a sunset greeted the trio as they got off the train. Al offered to carry the suitcases for Ed and the Colonel as they still had quite a walk to get to the Rockbell's.

As they approached the house, a blur came barreling toward them. Ed was barely able to brace himself as Winry flung her arms around him. Surprised that his mechanic wasn't hitting him upside the head with a wrench, he almost forgot to respond to her hug. Carefully wrapping his arms around her waist, he returned the embrace.

"I'm glad you're okay, alchemy freak," Winry whispered, unable to hide the concern she must have been feeling for him.

They made their way into the Rockbell house, where Pinako was waiting for them with dinner ready. The Colonel was helping her clean the kitchen up afterward while Winry checked on Ed's automail.

"Are there any more soldiers still in North City?" Pinako asked, trying to make conversation.

Mustang could tell the real reason she was wanting to know. He nodded.

"Yes, we still have some soldiers that stayed behind, just to be safe. Some are going to Fort Briggs for awhile. It looks like we won't be seeing anything from Drachma any time in the near future, but it doesn't hurt to be careful."

Pinako visibly relaxed, knowing that it didn't look like Ed would have to go to war anytime soon. Once the two were finished cleaning, they walked into the living room to find Ed asleep on the couch. He was sprawled across the piece of furniture, his hand resting on his stomach and pushing his shirt up. The Colonel couldn't help but wince as he saw the bandages and bruises peeking out from under Ed's tank top.

Many of Ed's old wounds reopened or were aggravated during the fight with the Drachmans. He made a mental note to tell Pinako and Al the instructions given to him for taking care of the kid's wounds. If Ed had it his way, an eternity would pass before he completely healed.

Mustang quietly strode over to the couch and picked Ed up as gently as he could. Pinako was kind enough to show him to Ed's room, where he laid his subordinate on the bed. He took off Ed's boots and covered him with a blanket. The young alchemist didn't even stir once.

The two stood in the doorway, watching as Ed peacefully slept. Pinako quietly shut the door, leaving him to rest.

"Your room is down the hall and to the left," she said as she turned to go to her own room for the night. She looked over her shoulder for a brief moment. "And Colonel Mustang, please feel free to stay as long as you like."

Mustang couldn't hide the shock that crossed his face. The last time he encountered Pinako Rockbell, he got the feeling that she didn't like him. That was probably accurate. In a way, he was the one who gave Ed and Al the opportunity to leave Resembool. She couldn't keep an eye on them much anymore.

An amused grin spread across her lips. It was as if she could read his mind.

"Al talks very highly of you. I know Ed feels the same, even though he won't always show it. I know you've been watching out for those boys. Consider it a thank you for taking care of them."

With that, she left him for the evening. Mustang smiled as he walked down the hall to his room.

 ***break***

The Colonel clutched his jacket around him as he walked out in the cool night. He couldn't sleep, so he decided to go for a walk. He knew where he wanted his destination to be, but he didn't know where it was exactly. Resembool was a small town, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find.

Sure enough, after wandering around, he found what he was looking for. He trudged through the cemetery until he found the grave he needed to find.

 _Trisha Elric_

 _1878-1904_

He stood in front of the headstone in near silence, the wind making the only noise. He couldn't help but think how proud she would be of her two boys. She had to have been an amazing woman herself to have such wonderful sons.

"Back in the Drachman camp," Mustang said, breaking the silence, "I know I was drugged, but I would like to think that was really you. What you said encouraged me more than you could ever imagine."

He would have thought he would feel silly talking to a headstone, but he didn't. It felt natural. However, that could have been because of whose grave it was.

"I feel so honored to have Edward and Alphonse in my life. I know you want what's best for your boys. I'm going to do everything I can to help them accomplish their goals. I promise you, I'll look out for them as long as I live."

The wind picked up around him as he turned to leave. He glanced back at the headstone. He smiled to himself. It was as if she knew he was there. The exhaustion of the day's traveling seemed to catch up to him now.

He had his closure. Trisha Elric helped him to keep going while he and Ed escaped the camp. Her words would resonate within his mind until he reached his goal. He would help her in return. His smile grew when he thought of Ed and Al.

Ed had a very rocky road ahead of him. He was going to be battling those nightmares and memories from the horrors he faced for long time. That was a whole new war of its own.

The Colonel walked with pure determination back toward the Rockbell's. He was going to be there for Ed. He always will be.

His kid won't be able to hide anything from him. He knows first hand of how nightmares and bad memories can break even the strongest of men. He isn't going to stop until Ed is whole again. It might take him some getting used to, and he definitely won't be perfect at it, but he's going to be the father Ed and Al need.

 ***October 2, 1915***

Brigadier General Mustang ran a hand through his hair as he made his way to his office. Ever since the Promised Day, chaos has been the only way to describe his life. He had so much to do and plan concerning the rebuilding of Ishval. He got word that Fuhrer Grumman might be transferring him out East soon.

He tried not to let his stress get the best of him. He didn't need his loyal subordinates to worry about him.

"Good morning, sir," Hawkeye greeted as he walked by her desk, "You've got visitors waiting for you in your office."

He whirled around, staring at her in disbelief. How could she allow this? He didn't have time for visitors unless they scheduled an appointment with him. His annoyance was evident, causing Hawkeye to chuckle.

"Just go on in. No need to keep them waiting."

He let out an annoyed huff and walked into his office. He wasn't sure who he was expecting to see, but it definitely wasn't who was there.

Alphonse was sitting on one of the couches, standing the second he entered. Edward, on the other hand, was sitting in his chair with his feet propped up on his desk, wearing a smirk that Mustang hadn't realized he missed so much until now.

"So we hear you're a fancy-pants general now," Ed said as he entered the office.

Annoyed feelings out the window, Mustang smiled as he shut the door.

"Edward and Alphonse Elric, well if this isn't a pleasant surprise! What brings you boys here?"

A fury of emotions and memories raged within him. After the battle with Drachma, his relationship with the Elric brothers only strengthened and grew. They had their rough patches, of course, but what relationship didn't?

To anyone outside of Mustang's team, nothing looked any different between the current and former state alchemists. Ed had tried his patience at times, but overall, he was beyond proud of him and his brother. They always completed their missions. Completing them in the manner in which he expected them to be...that was another story.

Within the team, they were able to act like a family. He didn't bother to hide his concern every time the brothers went off on a mission or a lead on the Philosopher's Stone. They always had to assure him that they would be fine, and usually they were. That didn't stop him from worrying, though. On the other side, Ed would actually come to him and talk about his nightmares or bad memories. It was relieving to see the teen having to do that less and less as time went on, but Mustang's door was always open for him when he needed it.

After the Promised Day, it nearly killed him when Ed and Al went back to Resembool, but he understood. They accomplished their goal, saving the entire country in the process. In reality, Mustang was glad those two got away from the military. However, there was a selfish part of him that didn't want them to leave. He hadn't seen or heard from the brothers since they left for Resembool, and that was several months ago.

None of that seemed to matter in this moment. They were here now, and that's what matters.

"We couldn't miss your birthday, General," Al said as he held out a box to him, "This was the first one that brother and I weren't out on a mission for."

Mustang stared at Al, completely dumbfounded. He rushed over to his calendar. Sure enough, it was the second of October. He had been so swamped with work that he didn't even remember his own birthday.

Ed joined his brother as Mustang sat on the couch across from them.

"You boys didn't have to come here just for that," the General stammered, not really knowing what to say.

"Of course we did," Ed spoke up, "We're never going to be able to fully repay you for everything you've done for us, but visiting you on your birthday seemed like a good place to start."

Again, Al extended the present out to him. Mustang took it.

"Where are you boys staying?" he asked as he started unwrapping it.

Al laughed.

"We ran into Gracia Hughes when we got into Central last night. We were going to stay in a hotel, but she insisted that we stay with her. Brother and I were too scared to tell her no."

Mustang chuckled at this. He didn't blame the Elrics. He would never be able to turn down Gracia Hughes either. He finally finished unwrapping and opened the box, his eyes widening at the sight of its contents.

Inside was an oak wood picture frame. The picture within it was one he never knew had been taken.

His memories flashed back to when he found out Al had his real body back. He had insisted on visiting the younger Elric the second he had the opportunity. He remembered the despair he was feeling of not actually seeing his youngest boy, as his blindness was not yet cured. That didn't mean he wasn't going to visit Al, however.

He remembered Ed guiding him to Al's room, helping him to a chair next to Al's bedside. Ed grabbing his hand, leading it to his brother's. He even remembered gasping as he felt a flesh hand instead of a metal one.

The picture in the frame captured that beautiful moment.

Al was lying in a hospital bed. Mustang was in the chair next to him, holding his hand. Ed was between the two with his hands on both of their shoulders. All three of them were smiling, as that was the most joyous moment the unlikely family had shared together. He didn't even know someone had taken the picture, but he was sure glad someone did.

He looked closer at the frame, noticing the words engraved in it.

 _Flame Alchemist. Comrade. Leader. Hero. Future Fuhrer of Amestris._

His eyes nearly welled up at the last word he saw on the frame.

 _Father._

He cleared his throat before speaking.

"This is such a wonderful gift," he said as he lifted the frame. He noticed something else was in the box. "Paperwork?"

Ed and Al shared a look, one filled with both apprehension and hope.

"You both know how much I hate paperwork. Is this a joke?" Mustang teased with a smirk as he set the picture down next to him, picking up the papers. His smirk faded as he actually looked through them. "Are these...adoption papers?"

He looked up at the grinning Elric brothers.

"You've been our dad for a long time now," Ed explained, "Al and I thought you might like to make it official. "

"Everything is filled out, so all you have to do is sign them," Al chimed in.

Mustang bowed his head to hide his face in his hands, not wanting them to see the tears he couldn't stop. The room was silent. Not getting a response was starting to worry Ed.

"Well...uhm...that is...if you want to…." he trailed off awkwardly.

Suddenly, Mustang embraced both of his boys in a hug, having finally composed himself to a degree.

"Edward, Alphonse, I love you both more than you could ever understand. This is the best present I could ever receive, being able to legally call you both my sons. How can you think for a second that I would say anything other than yes?"

Their smiles lit up the room as Mustang sat down at his desk and furiously signed the papers.

"You know that you two are going to have to come to Central more often, and I'm going to have to make more trips out to Resembool, right?" he asked, glancing up from the most important papers he had ever signed.

Ed and Al could only nod. They were too happy for words. When Mustang was done signing, he gestured for them to follow him out of his office.

None of his men looked the slightest bit surprised to see the Elrics. Mustang payed them no mind.

"Hawkeye, cancel any appointments or meetings I had today," he said as he stormed through the outer office.

She smiled, having already done that. The Elrics had called her ahead of time to let her know of their plans. She was beyond happy to help them out.

Mustang stopped and spun around to face his sons.

"Race you to the courthouse?" he asked, quirking his eyebrow in a challenge.

Ed and Al nodded.

The unlikely, little family bolted out of Central Command. The rest of Mustang's men cheered as they followed them.

Roy Mustang was certain that he had never felt true joy until now. Before, he didn't want to have a family until he had accomplished his goal of becoming Fuhrer. Now, he realized he had one the entire time. There was no need to wait. His family built him up. They would always be by his side, as he would always be by theirs.

Their future would only get brighter together.

 **And there it is. I had so many feelings while writing this chapter. I hope you all liked how it ended. I would like to think if the events of this story and its predecessor had actually occurred before the major events of Brotherhood, the very ending scene would have actually happened (I actually had to look up Mustang's birthday for this, and I was surprised it was the day before and important date we all know).**

 **A huge thank you to everyone who had favorited/followed/reviewed this story. You all have been fantastic and encouraged me so much while writing it!**

 **Also, I would like to make a shout out to my awesome roommate for putting up with me. I bugged her so much while writing these two stories, asking her opinions on ideas and such. I'm blessed to have a roommate just as obsessed with fanfiction as I am.**

 **I had so much fun writing these stories, and I hope you guys had fun reading them! I have several other fanfic ideas, so be on the lookout for new stories and oneshots from me! I will write as often as this semester allows me to.**

 **Until next time,**

 **alightintheshadows**


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